People of the Wolf
by inksmudged
Summary: Cat, a newcomer to Forks, becomes entangled in Quileute secrets when Jacob Black imprints on her. Things only get more complex when Bella, now a vampire, discovers Cat is her la tua cantante. Cat struggles to accept her new life. JakexOC ExB CharliexOC
1. Moving

****This fic was written after New Moon was published, so take that into account when you read. There are some plot points, etc. that are no longer relevant after the publication of **_**Eclipse**_** and **_**Breaking Dawn**_**. I have no desire to go through and change them all, so try to read it as somewhat of an AU fic. Thanks, and enjoy!****

**-inksmudged (August 3, 2009)**

_-- -- --_

_Set after New Moon, a new girl moves to Forks. This is my first Twilight fic. I hope you like it a lot! Please review - I will love you forever!_

It was Saturday night, and I was at home, hiding in my room, reading. Mom called me down to the living room. She looked agitated as I sat on the couch across from Dad's old chair. She was curled in his chair, clutching an old sweater of his around her shoulders.

She took a deep breath, not meeting my eyes. "Cat, we're moving."

I looked at her, not really understanding. Mom was fond of metaphors and symbolism – she was a writer after all – so I often didn't catch the meaning of her lectures until she was a few minutes in. Moving? How? Try as I might, I couldn't see any double meaning to the word.

"We're leaving this house. We're leaving Seattle."

I realized she was speaking literally. "Leaving?" I echoed hollowly, still somehow not understanding.

"This house is a mausoleum! I can't live here anymore – _you _can't live here anymore!"

Anger pushed through my confusion, and I understood instantly. She thought that I was miserable just because Dad died. Like she could just fix me by leaving it all behind. My hands clenched into angry fists, and I resisted the urge to scream.

"No," I answered rigidly.

"Honey, we have to leave. This isn't healthy."

"Seattle is my home," I answered mechanically. "I don't want to leave."

Mom shook her head. "There's nothing here for you. You don't have any family here. You don't have any friends…" she trailed off guiltily. We'd come to an unspoken understanding that she didn't acknowledge that I'd slowly severed all my friendships over the past two years and turned into a teenage recluse. In return, I pretended not to notice that she wore all Dad's old clothes instead of her own and refused to throw any of his stuff away. She broke the fragile grip we both had on the illusion of normalcy with a single sentence. Rage burned up in me, more potent than anything I'd ever felt before.

"At least I don't wear a dead man's clothes every day!" I screamed.

Mom paled, but she didn't scream back – even though it's widely accepted that I got my temper from her. Instead, she spoke calmly, quietly. Her voice was almost feeble. "That's exactly what I mean. This house is a cemetery. We need to leave it behind." Despite her diminutive tone, there was a conviction in her voice that wouldn't be fought. I new it was no use arguing when her mind was made up.

Filled with an impotent rage, I could only glower. Suffusing my voice with as much rage and contempt as I could, I demanded, "So where are we going, then?"

Mom smiled. "We're moving to Forks."

- - - - -

Mom was a writer, so she could work anywhere, and she longed for the small town life again. She'd grown up in the country, raised on the Oneida reservation in northern Wisconsin, and moved to Seattle after she met Dad in college. Forks was a welcome change for her. For me, it was still a bit of a toss-up. Despite my antagonism towards the move, I was sort of looking forward to the opportunity for a fresh start.

Mom and I spent the first week in Forks cleaning the new house. It was last lived in fourty years ago – and was in desperate need of a vacuum and disinfectant spray. After a week of backbreaking labor, the house finally looked livable. The wallpaper was outdated, the kitchen linoleum badly in need of replacement, and the woodwork was slightly warped by the moist environment. But it was home. It was a fresh start.

After a thorough cleaning, the new house seemed bright and open, even though the Forks sky was perpetually gray and the house was actually smaller than our last one. Whatever the difference, it felt better. We arranged the furniture completely different from the last house, and mom sorted through Dad's stuff. She kept only the important sentimental things and put them in a trunk that she kept in the basement.

I started school on the Monday after that first week of cleaning. Driving up to the school, all sense of hopefulness evaporated. It was raining, nothing too surprising, but the dark atmosphere weighed heavily on my mood. I surveyed the disconnected buildings that made up the school with some trepidation. It was a small school, no doubt – but how would I find my way around with multiple buildings to navigate?

I found the main office easily enough. A plump, older woman sat at the front desk, leafing through papers. The open door allowed a gust of wind to whistle in, rustling the papers. She looked up immediately, smiling fondly.

"You must be Catherine Schwartz," she said warmly. I smiled dutifully.

"Yes. I was told to get my class schedule here?"

She nodded, and pulled a folder from a drawer in her desk. "Here you go, sweetie."

- - - - -

Class wasn't so bad. I faked being cheery and friendly, so I got on pretty easily with everyone. I was invited to lunch by a girl named Tess. I regarded her flaming red hair and bright green eyes jealously. I was a quarter Oneida, but three-quarters German-Dutch. The only thing exotic about me was the way I tanned easily. Otherwise, I was just a dark-haired, dark-eyed girl. My mother was half Oneida, and she got all the desirable features – dark, smooth skin, long, silky black hair, high and high cheekbones from her Oneida mother, and then large, round eyes and a narrow nose from her Dutch father.

Lunch with Tess was actually kind of fun. Her friends, a rambunctious group of three other girls and five boys, were fascinated by me. They asked me about Seattle, commiserating over Forks' pitiful size and inaccessibility compared to Seattle. The boys seemed particularly interested, but I didn't flatter myself to think it was over my stunning beauty. Judging by the way teachers and students alike seemed to know me right away assured me that newcomers in Forks were infrequent.

While the day went better than I'd anticipated, I couldn't wait to get out of school and go home. When school was finally over, I dove gratefully into my rusty old celica. I felt my mood lifting as I drove home, reflecting on my first day. Things hadn't gone bad at all. Maybe I could become good friends with Tess and her group. The idea of having friends again made me nervous, but excited.

When I walked in the front door, Mom was on the phone chatting happily. She was like a new person in Forks. She was wearing her own clothes – all newly bought on a shopping spree during our last day in Seattle – and she was smiling.

"Yeah, of course. Great – see you tonight." She hung up the phone, and looked at me. "How was your first day, Cat?"

"Okay," I answered noncommittally.

"Did you meet a lot of nice kids?"

I nodded.

"Good!" she enthused.

"Who were you talking to?" I asked, shrugging my backpack onto the kitchen table.

"Oh! I went for a drive today, to see the area, and I drove up through the reservation. I had to stop for directions, and I met a few people – they're very nice. We've been invited to dinner with Sue Clearwater and her family."

"Oh."

"She said there'll be a couple other families – with kids your age," Mom hinted hopefully.

"Oh."

- - - - -

Sue Clearwater's house was small. There were at least ten other cars parked in the yard, making me wonder how everyone was supposed to fit inside.

"Sue's husband just died a few months ago, so don't ask about it, okay?"

"Why would I ask about her dead husband?" I snapped. Mom looked away from me sharply, and I wished I could swallow my words. We were doing so well in our new house, in this new town. We were moving on. But I am always the one who ruins it. "I won't say anything," I said softly, getting out of the car.

Inside, the house was packed full of people. As soon as we got in the door a woman turned and wrapped my mom in a hug.

"Theresa! I'm so glad you made it!"

"Thanks, Sue," Mom answered happily. "This is my daughter, Catherine."

I smiled politely. "Call me Cat."

Sue hugged me as well. "The other kids are in the backyard," she said, pointing over her shoulder.

I hesitated. I really hate having to talk to people I don't know. My plan for the evening was to stay close to my mom, and field the usual questions from adults, like how I liked the school and how old I was and so on. I didn't want to look like a weirdo, though, so I said, "Okay, thanks," and made my way out back.

There was a fire pit in the back yard, host to a massive bonfire. About five kids stood around the fire, laughing and horsing around. I stood at the doorway, a few yards away, watching nervously. I didn't know how to approach them. Before I could settle on a plan of action, somebody noticed me standing there.

"Hey – who's there? Food ready?"

I strode forward self-consciously. "Uh, no. Sue told me to come back here." As I got closer to the fire, I realized there were all boys standing around – not a single girl. I swallowed convulsively.

"Who're you?" one boy asked.

"My name's Catherine – Cat." As I got even closer, I realized the boys were all incredibly tall. I was rather tall for a girl at five-foot-ten, but I had nothing on these guys. The shortest of them was six feet, at the very least.

"Yeah, Catherine Schwartz?" asked one. "Sue told us about your mom."

"Oh." I reached the fire, and stood self-consciously between two of the boys. The tallest of two held out his hand. I shook it tentatively.

"I'm Jacob," he said. His enormous hand completely enveloped mine.

The others followed suit, introducing themselves.

"Quil."

"Jared."

"Embry."

"Paul."

"Nice to meet you all," I said politely.

"Sue said you're Native?" Jared asked pleasantly. All five of them were suddenly reserved and sedate, even though seconds before they were being rambunctious and loud. It was probably because I was a girl and they thought they had to be on good behavior.

"Yeah, I'm a quarter Oneida. My mom's half."

They nodded politely. I nodded. Nobody said anything. God, this was awkward.

"How old are you?" Embry asked suddenly.

"Seventeen – I'm a junior in high school."

"Us too," Jacob said. I blinked. They all looked like they were twenty.

"You guys look a lot older," I said.

They grinned. "You like older men?" Paul quipped, leaning towards me with a suggestive waggle of his eyebrows. I giggled as Jared socked him on the arm. Paul didn't take it as well. He rounded on Jared, brows furrowed angrily. The other four boys suddenly looked tense. Quil and Embry glanced at me.

"Chill out, Paul," Jacob said calmly, but I could see his posture was rigid. Paul was furious – shaking with suppressed rage. I stepped back cautiously, backing into Jacob. Was this boy completely unhinged? Jared didn't even hit him that hard.

"Let's go," Jared said, grabbing him by the arm and dragging him away from the fire. Paul shook his head, but he let Jared lead him away until they disappeared into the shadows of the forest.

"What's going on?" I asked, confused. Jacob and Quil glanced at each other.

"Paul's on medication," Jacob said easily. I knew it was a lie.

"What kind of medication makes –"

"Hey, dinner's ready!" Embry shouted, cutting me off. He led the charge back into the house. Quil and Jacob raced after him, but I went more slowly. When Jacob saw I wasn't running with them, he fell back.

"Aren't you hungry?"

"Yeah, I am," I said. "Is Paul going to be okay?"

"Yeah, he'll be fine," Jacob snapped. He pursed his lips and closed his eyes, inhaling deeply. After a moment, he asked, "How do you like Forks?" The question seemed random – even though everyone I met had asked me the same thing. From him it seemed calculated, like a distraction. I couldn't shake the suspicion that something was really wrong with Paul.

"Forks is fine," I said. "Kind of small."

Jacob laughed. "Yeah, but good things come in small packages, right?"

I looked over his tall, muscular frame. "Then you must be the root of all evil."

I noticed Jacob stuck out his chest a little, walking even taller than before. "I'm not so bad. It's Embry you have to look out for," he joked.

By now we'd caught up to the other two at the door. Embry grinned wickedly upon hearing his name. "What's that?" he asked, his voice mischievous.

"Oh, Jacob's just telling me what a monster you are," I said breezily. The smile dropped from Embry's face, and suddenly the atmosphere seemed heavy, charged with tension. I looked nervously at the boys. What was it with these guys and overreacting? "I was just kidding," I said quickly. "You seem very nice," I assured him.

Embry glanced at Jacob, giving him an accusatory look. Jacob rolled his eyes. Back in the house, we were forced to weave through people like eels. We got to the kitchen, filled our plates, and went back outside. It was cool outside, but better than the smothering press of people inside. Jacob and I got out first, sitting at the beat-up, old picnic table and chatting.

Despite the rough start earlier, Jacob was remarkably easy to talk to. He was funny and sweet, enthusiastic about mechanics, and more than willing to share embarrassing stories about his friends.

Quil and Embry joined us at the table and Jacob cut off a story about Embry and a girl who didn't return his ardor.

Embry smiled, but his face was hard. "Saying more than you should, Jake?"

"I can say what I want to," Jacob snapped.

"No," Embry corrected him tersely. "You can't. Don't get into trouble again."

Jacob didn't say anything. The atmosphere had gone from light to dark in an instant. I quickly shoveled the rest of my food down my throat and excused myself back into the house. I didn't know what secret they were keeping, but it made me nervous. After the way Paul freaked out – and I still hadn't returned – I wasn't sure I wanted to be alone with them in the dark.

Back in the house I found my mom talking to a man who was clearly not from the reservation. His curly brown hair was mostly hidden beneath a beaten baseball cap, and his tanned face was still not as dark as the Quileute skin. His eyes crinkled as he smiled at something my mother said. I paused in the kitchen, watching them. Sue Clearwater came up beside me, bringing a stack of empty plates to the kitchen.

"Hey, who's that?" I asked her, pointing to the stranger.

She followed the line of my finger with her eyes, then nodded approvingly. "That's Charlie Swan, Forks Chief of Police." She smiled softly, looking distant. "He was Harry's best friend – went fishing every weekend." I glanced uneasily at her. Harry must have been her husband's name. I didn't know whether to feign ignorance, or offer my condolences.

"Oh?" I said vaguely.

Sue continued, "He's a nice man. He was married once – a flighty woman, she left him. He has a daughter about your age, Isabella."

She smiled pensively, then brushed past me, dumping the plates into the sink. I went to my mother.

"Ah, Cat, there you are. Having a good time?"

I nodded.

"Sweetheart, this is Charlie – excuse me – Chief Swan."

Charlie waved his hand dismissively. "Charlie," he said softly, almost shyly.

"Nice to meet you," I replied automatically.

"Well, I guess we'd better going," Mom sighed. "It was really nice to meet you, Charlie," she said sweetly. There was more than politeness in her tone, and I felt myself bristling. This man had no right to walk into our life just days after we've started it over.

"Yes, let's go," I said, hustling her towards the door. "Bye Charlie." I waved smartly, and we were out the door.

"Easy, Cat, what's the rush?"

"I'm tired," I lied. "And I have school tomorrow."

As we walked to the car, I glanced back at the house. Around the back, I could see Paul and Jared reemerging from the woods. Neither of them had shirts on – only pants. They saw me staring, and froze. Even from this distance, I could sense their hostility. I turned sharply and rushed into the car.

"Let's go," I pleaded with my mom as I locked the doors.

_I really hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though it was mostly set-up for what's to come. Next chapter will involve a run-in with Jacob's pack, and VAMPIRES! Ooooh! Please review and let me know what you think!_


	2. Hiking

_Thank you to all for the wonderful reviews! I'm glad my story went over this well, because I have to confess… I'm a bit of an OC snob. I tend to dislike fanfics featuring new characters, because I find that the new character is usually some idealized extension of the author themselves, so that they might live vicariously in their favorite stories. I really hope I haven't done that here – and I also really hope you guys enjoy this second chapter. I like it a LOT – it was really fun to write, so hopefully you guys like it as much as I do. Let me know what you think… I trade cake for reviews!_

On my first Saturday in Forks, I decided to go hiking, even though Tess had invited me to go shopping in Port Angeles. I was happy to have friends again, but I needed to ease in slowly. After two years of solitude, friendship was slightly terrifying. I couldn't quite remember how to act around people – I was a bit like a home-schooled kid suddenly being tossed into public school, shy and over-zealous.

Hiking was something I could do by myself, even if I shouldn't. Hiking safety dictated that I go with at least one other person, as well as let somebody know where I would be, in case I was hurt or something. I did neither. I wanted to be alone, and I knew my mom wouldn't like the idea. I told her I was going to Port Angeles with the Tess and her friends.

She beamed at me over the breakfast table, overjoyed that I had friends again. "Of course!" She jumped up and fetched her purse. "Here – buy some new clothes." She handed me fifty dollars from her wallet.

I felt guilty as I tucked the money into my pocket. I would give it back in the afternoon, and tell her that I didn't find anything I liked.

Mom hung out the front door as I crawled into my car. "Bye honey! Have fun!" In her excitement over my sudden sociality, she didn't notice that I was wearing cargo pants and hiking boots.

I waved, smiling, and backed out.

- - - - -

I'd been hiking for nearly three hours when I needed to rest. I sat on a mossy boulder, jutting from the ground on the side of the trail, and took a long drain on my water bottle. The weather was nice – for Forks. Though the sky was overcast, they were thin, harmless clouds that harbored no threat of rain. The blanket of clouds was oppressive though, trapping the heat down in the moist Forks climate, making it unbearably muggy. Sweat dripped down my face, chest, and back in rivulets. I doused my face with a splash of water from my bottle.

"Hello, darling." A hypnotically beautiful voice startled me, coming from behind. I whirled sharply, hands going quickly to the bear mace in my pocket. Behind me stood an impossibly beautiful man, with the palest skin I'd ever seen. His high, sharp cheekbones and narrow, aquiline nose set off his full mouth in a way that was seen only in fashion ads for men's cologne and the like. I could only stare, mesmerized by his haunting beauty. His eyes, though, were frightening beyond anything I'd ever seen before. They were sharp, angry, intense – but worst of all, they were _blood red_.

Despite being awestruck over his beauty, there was something in me that knew instantly to fear him. I took a step back, clutching the mace more tightly. The same little part of me that knew to fear this unnaturally beautiful man also had a sneaking suspicion that bear mace would do nothing to protect me from him.

The man smiled, looking almost sad as he regarded me. He seemed almost sheepish as he observed my retreat. He raised his hands, to show he meant no harm, and carefully took a step away from me as well.

"I'm sorry," he said softly, in the same entrancing voice as before. I felt my fear of him ebbing, but I knew I couldn't let that happen. "I didn't mean to frighten you."

I blinked, trying to remember that there was something obviously quite wrong with him. Possibly he was very ill, and contagious, and I instinctively knew to stay away. That would explain his paleness and strange eyes. Or perhaps he was just an odd-looking murderer, and I could sense his evil intentions. Either way, I kept my distance.

"Your eyes…" I said slowly, my mind working slowly through the awe of his beauty. He was like a Greek god – only terrifying.

His slender, long-fingered hand went to the corner of his eye, and he smiled softly again. "Yes, I'm albino."

I could feel myself flushing with shame. The reason I recoiled from him was because deep in my horrible Neanderthal heart, I was programmed to fear that which is different from me. Human nature – it's not always pretty. I smiled, trying to hide the fear that I just couldn't vanquish. Was I really so shallow?

He lowered his hands, and stepped towards me. I struggled not to run from him, as my brain was screaming at me to do. But I couldn't run if I wanted to. His brilliant red eyes paralyzed me with fear. I watched his approach helplessly, clutching my mace – though I doubted I'd be able to use it, should I need to.

His gait took on a predatory stealth as he drew closer, and I sensed a power in him that no man or beast could defy. The part of me that feared him tried desperately to reason with my politically-correct shame. _Just because he's an albino doesn't mean he's a saint. He could still want to hurt you! Use the mace and run!_

But I couldn't make my legs obey. The strange man drew closer, closing the distance between to an uncomfortable hair's breadth between our noses. He inhaled softly, closing his eyes as if savoring the scent of me.

"Mmmm…" he sighed. "You have a lovely aroma… like clover and lavender. Delicious," he purred.

Now I was officially frightened. I sidestepped him and pushed past him, making my way back the way I came. It was a three hour walk, and I doubted I could outrun him. Leonine grace and power emanated from his every move. Faster than I could blink – he was in front of me. I stopped short, drawing in a startled breath. How had he done that?

"Where are you going so quickly? We've only just met." He blinked, though still red, were suddenly darker, more intense. I took a step away from him, too afraid to be near him by pushing around him. I turned and headed the other way down the trail.

But he was in front of me again. I shrieked in terror, jumped backwards as he materialized in front of me, a blur of motion to perfect stillness. "Come now, don't be shy. I won't hurt you – I'll be very quick about it."

"Wh-what?" I croaked, finding my voice at last. This man couldn't really mean to kill me! I couldn't believe that I'd actually _known _what I was doing wrong, and the worst consequence came true. Nobody would know I was missing for hours and hours, nobody would find my body in this endless wilderness… nobody would even hear me scream.

But I screamed anyway, long-shot that it was. My only hope was that somebody else was out hiking, not too far from here, and would come running before it was too late. The stranger was suddenly upon me, so quickly that I didn't even see him leap for me.

I found myself suddenly wrapped in his iron embrace, pressed tight against his cold, rock-hard body. His cold hand clamped over my mouth, cutting off my scream. There was something very unnatural about him, and his proximity nearly had me fainting in fear. My senses were in a riot as fear clashed with confusion. I couldn't understand what it was about him that repelled me so strongly, but whatever it was, it ran deep, and my blood chilled.

I stilled, realizing that fighting him was futile. His strength was unbelievable, and his speed even more so.

"Ah, there's a smart girl," he said smoothly, his lips pressed against the curve of my ear. He released me, and spun me around to face him. I stood, frozen in place, as I tried to think of some way to save myself.

"Don't touch me!" I gasped hoarsely, impressed that I was even able to make a sound.

"Now, don't be like that," he said, feigning a pout. "I've been nothing but nice, and I promised to make this painless."

I pulled my wallet from my pocket and threw it at his feet. "Take it! I don't care, there's fifty bucks in there. Please don't kill me."

He bent and picked the wallet up, examining it delicately. "I'm not interested in your money, my dear. What I want from you… well, it rather requires your death I'm afraid."

I gaped wordlessly.

He smiled, shaking his head pityingly. "I want your _blood._" At the word blood, his entire demeanor shifted. He crouched low, like a panther about to pounce, and his gentle smile stretched into a horrific display of gleaming fangs.

I stood where I was. Instinct and survival warred with each other in my mind – instinct told me to run like hell and not look back, while survival assured me that running would only provoke a chase… one that I would certainly lose.

"Oh my God," I gasped, finally understanding. "You're a vampire!"

He straightened sharply, his expression losing its demonic hunger. He looked confused, afraid even. If it were possible, I think he may have paled even more. He turned his head sharply to the left, blood red eyes searching the dark forest.

"No!" he gasped, falling back a step. Emerging from the trees were the largest wolves I'd ever seen. They were easily bigger than even the largest bear I'd ever seen. I staggered back weakly, certain that I'd met my death. If the vampire didn't kill me… well, the giant wolves would probably consider me a tasty snack. The wolves glanced between me and the vampire, probably debating between which of us would taste better. But when I met the gaze of the rust-red wolf, I was astonished to see an intelligence within those dark eyes that normal animals did not possess.

What the hell was wrong with Forks?

The vampire turned and darted into the trees on the other side the trail, moving faster than my mind could register. In a second he was gone from sight. The wolves – six of them tore after him, leaving the trees trembling and swaying in their wake. For a moment, all I could do was stare after them, stunned.

Then, quickly, my brain dropped back into my skull and I took off running down the trail. I flat-out sprinted the entire hike back to my car, fueled by fear. I all but ripped the door off its frame and lunged into the driver's seat, whipping the door shut and locking it. Not even pausing to catch my breath, I turned the ignition and peeled out of the small graveled lot.

When I was halfway home, my adrenaline rush faded and I found myself sobbing and shaking. I pulled over to the side of the road, slumped over my steering wheel, and screamed as loud and long as I could. When my tears dried up, I continued to hiccup and sniffle, terrified. My hands trembled, even though I clutched the steering wheel so tightly my knuckles were white.

A knock at my window tore another scream from me, and tried to jump into the passenger seat, only to be wrenched back by my seatbelt. My head knocked painfully against the window, but I ignored it, pulling away and looking up to...

Chief Swan.

I sighed with relief, and found myself crying again.

"Are you alright?" Charlie asked, sounding alarmed.

"Giant wolves!" I gasped through my sobs.

Charlie's expression evened, and he seemed completely unfazed. "You can't drive right now – I'll take you to your mom."

I let Charlie help me from the car and into the passenger seat of his cruiser. I hoped I wouldn't have to talk to him much. Even though I'd admitted to the giant wolves, I wasn't sure I should have – and I certainly had no intention of telling anyone that I'd nearly become vampire lunch. First off, they'd think I was nuts. And second, what could they do about it? As a firsthand witness to the strength and speed of a vampire, I knew no human would be a match. Not even twenty humans.

Fortunately, Chief Swan was not particularly talkative. After ascertaining that I was alright, he assured me, "You shouldn't have gone hiking alone – it's too dangerous. People have been seeing these wolves for a while now. My daughter saw them." He left it at that. He seemed a little tight-lipped when he mentioned his daughter, but I didn't ask about her.

- - - - -

"Oh my God! You told me you went to Port Angeles!" Mom wrapped me in a crushing embrace, hurting my ribs. I'm not sure if it was love or anger that inspired her bear hug.

Charlie stood shyly in the doorway. "In the future, don't go into the woods alone. It's not safe." His chastisement was hardly stern, but I assured him he could rest easy on my behalf. I didn't plan on ever going into the woods again.

Mom rushed to Charlie, embracing him warmly. Charlie flushed bright red, patting her shoulder nervously. "Thank you so much, Charlie! I can't even think of what would have happened if…" Mom released him and stepped back, dropping her face into her hand. "Cat, go to room right now, while I figure out what to do with you."

I left the entryway, but I hovered just around the corner in the kitchen, listening.

"I really can't thank you enough, Charlie."  
"No thanks needed," Charlie assured her modestly. "I have a daughter too; she's done things just as ridiculous. She went into the woods herself… she bought motorcycles a few years ago and had one of the boys at the reservation teach her how to ride them."

Mom's laughter was authentic – more real than I'd heard since dad died. "Oh, God. I would absolutely kill Cat if she did that… though I don't know that I would put it past her," Mom mumbled.

Charlie laughed softly. "Well, I better get going. See you later," he said politely.

"I hope so," Mom called after him. I couldn't hear Charlie's response, but I could imagine him turning bright red. I was turning red myself, but with fury. We're barely done grieving Dad – we don't need someone else coming in and messing up our lives. I wasn't sure Mom could stand another heartbreak. In the first few months after Dad died, I chucked out all the pills in our house and I would hide the knives when I left for school… just in case. I didn't want to go through that again.

I heard Mom sigh whimsically as she shut the front door, and then her footsteps came down the hallway. As quickly and as quietly as I could, I fled upstairs, swinging my door shut.

I stared pensively out my window at the expanse of forest just at the end of our lonely road. A shiver crawled up my spine and I forced myself to look away. What had we gotten into? Vampires and giant wolves? Did they exist everywhere and I'd never noticed before? Or was Forks just a hotspot for supernatural weirdness? Whatever it was, I worried that moving to Forks was an even worse idea than I originally thought.

_Okay, let me know what you thought of it. Chapter three is coming soon, because I'm nearly finished with it. Also – I promise Bella and Edward will appear in Chapter four – and it's gonna be good!!_


	3. The Tree

_I feel so loved – glad everyone's enjoying it so far! Thanks to all who commented, you guys are primarily the reason I do this. I just love to be loved, lol. I know I said it would be soon – but I have got the most bi-polar internet connection ever. It was being very uncooperative all this past week. Anyways, it's up now, so please let me know what you thought of this chapter!_

Mom dragged me over to Sue's house again on Tuesday night. I was grounded for the whole lying about Port Angeles thing, but she didn't trust me to stay home alone. I sat silently in an old armchair while Mom and Sue gabbled like old friends – chatting about everything under the sun. My mind drifted as I stared sullenly out the living room window, tuning the two of them out. The lush, dense forest surrounded Sue's house in a close, protective press. Something about the reservation made me feel safe in the woods – weird, considering I was absolutely terrified of the forest in Forks.

Half-paying attention, I heard Sue remark, "Oh – what's Jacob doing here?"

Glancing back out the window, I saw one of the boys I'd met last week making his way to the front door. Jacob – the one who'd been really easy to talk to.

I turned toward the entry way as the front door swung open. His footsteps echoed in the long hallway until he appeared at the living room doorway. "Hey, Sue," he said affably, stepping in. "Billy sent me over with some fish. He and Charlie caught more fish than they can handle last weekend."

I sensed there was something of a polite lie to the statement. I figured, since Sue was a widower, that Charlie and Billy were just trying to take care of her without insulting her. Charlie was clearly a good guy, but I didn't want him getting involved with my mom. She didn't need a relationship – she needed to adjust to normal life first. Two years of living in a virtual mausoleum makes it difficult to "move on."

My mom was clearly heedless of her emotional delicacy. "Is Charlie here?" she asked, sitting up a little straighter.

Jake shook his head. "Just me."

Sue smiled knowingly. "Theresa, why don't you and Catherine come over for dinner this Thursday? Billy and Jacob are coming, and so is Charlie."

Mom had no idea that she was so transparent, but she feigned indecision anyway. I knew what was going to happen before Sue even finished her sentence. "I don't want to make more work for you, Sue…"

"No trouble – I _like _to have visitors."

Mom smiled. "Alright, we'll be there."

Jacob grinned at me. "Cool. See you there, Cat."

I felt myself blushing as he turned and left. I stared hard out the window so mom and Sue wouldn't see. As Jacob passed by the window, he looked in and winked at me, making me blush harder.

- - - - -

Thursday came faster than I thought, and I was strangely excited. I was eager to see Jacob again, though I was unsure why I suddenly so fond of him. I didn't think he felt particularly special about me. I mean, all he said was that he would see me there. Which he would, unless his eyes had been gouged out since I last saw him. But you'd think I'd hear about something like that via my mother, who was constantly on the phone with Sue.

As soon as I got home from school, mom was in the front hall, ready to go. We drove to the reservation in silence. Mom hummed absently the whole way there, constantly pressing her lips together to hide her nervous smile. I was torn between wishing my mother would chill out on Charlie, and wanting to see Jacob. I hardly knew him, but something about him intrigued me.

When we got to Sue's, we left our rain jackets on the coat hooks by the door, and went straight to the kitchen. Billy and Charlie were already at the table, playing cards, while Sue bustled around the oven and fridge.

Billy and Charlie smiled as we stepped in. "Can we deal you in?" Billy asked mom.

She took a seat next to Charlie. "Sure. What are you playing?"

"Five card stud. Aces high, jacks are wild. We're playing with dimes."

"Oh, I'm not very good at poker," Mom sighed. I turned my laughter into a hacking cough. Even when she's trying to charm the chief of police, she's willing to be a complete con-artist. My mom is so good at poker that our family refuses to play with her. Billy and Charlie had no idea what they were in for.

"We'll take it easy on you," Billy assured her.

Mom smiled sweetly, nudging Charlie playfully. "You wouldn't take money from a single mother, would you?"

Charlie's ears went red, but his voice remained stoic. "I can't make any promises." He smiled shyly.

"Jake's in the living room," Sue said to me.

I stepped nervously into the living room. Jake was flipping absently through TV channels.

"Hey," I said softly, sitting down delicately on the same chair I sat in last time.

He smiled. "Cat! I didn't know you were coming. Is your mom here, too?"

I nodded. "She's playing poker with Billy and Charlie."

"Uh-oh," Jake sighed and rolled his eyes. "My dad's pretty competitive."

"I don't think you have to worry. My mom isn't exactly a first-timer."

Jacob nodded thoughtfully. "Good. I hope she beats them."

Conversation faded as Jake found channel he liked. It was MTV's Scarred – a show about horrific accidents sustained by extreme sports participants. I flinched and covered my eyes through most of the stories, trying not to be too much of a baby. It was just so disgusting! I didn't want to see broken bones – I didn't want to see swollen ankles with feet pointing in the wrong directions!

Thankfully, Sue called us in for dinner about half-way through the show.

I sat next to my mom at the table, grinning as I admired her mountain of dimes. Billy and Charlie sheepishly scooped their few remaining coins off the table.

"Not bad for an inexperienced poker player," I commented lightly as I took my seat.

Mom smiled warningly. "Must be beginner's luck," she said coyly.

-

After a delicious dinner of deep-fried fish and onion rings, we tried to stuff some of Sue's lemon meringue pie into our already engorged stomachs. I was not faring too well – only managing a few measly bites. Jacob, on the other hand, managed to eat more fish than any of us, and gobbled three slices of pie. I watched in awe as he tucked away his last slice, then eyed the empty pie-tin wistfully.

When everyone had finished eating, we sat back with a collective groan of appreciation. After a few moments of silence, Sue spoke up.

"Jake, why don't you show Cat the tree?" She suggested.

"Yeah!" Jake turned to me, his features alight with excitement. I felt myself blushing slightly. He was really good-looking, and one of the few guys who was actually taller than me. The idea of being alone with him was exciting and daunting at the same time. "It's really cool," Jake said quickly, "Let's go."

"I don't know if that's a good idea," Billy interrupted sternly.

"It'll be fine," Jake argued, irritated.

"It's late," Billy argued.

"Oh, Billy," Sue said quickly, "Let them have fun. Go on – show her the tree."

Billy scowled, but didn't argue. Jake grabbed my hand and pulled me to the door, making my heart leap in surprise at the sudden contact. His hand was unbelievably warm.

As we left, I heard Sue continue.

"Billy, can you help me with something?" She asked.

"Sure, what is it?"

"It's in the garage. Can you come take a look?"

Jacob pulled open the front door, and we were outside. I felt myself boiling with fury. That conniving little match-maker! She was conspiring to get Charlie and my mom alone so they could fall magically in love and live happily ever after… yeah right. All that was going to happen was my mom would get hurt, and that was the last thing I wanted for her after she just finally started to move on from my dad.

"Ouch!" Jacob flexed his fingers in my iron grip. "Easy there, killer."

I pulled my hand from his grasp, grinning apologetically. "Sorry – I was distracted. Where are we going?"

"It's not far. Follow me." Jacob grabbed my hand again and pulled me into the forest. I didn't feel stressed or nervous in the least – the vampire was the last thing on my mind, actually. All I could think of was my hand wrapped in Jacob's and the fact that we were all alone. For some reason I felt incredibly safe with him, though I was nervous about how I would act. I wasn't too good at small talk, and I had a tendency to clam up around guys.

I didn't have to worry about that with Jacob, though – talk, just like the last time, was incredibly easy with him. He was a natural listener, and he was blessed with the gift of gab. What was surely a half-hour walk seemed like only minutes with the help of laughter and silly conversations.

"So, you have a boyfriend?" Jacob asked nonchalantly as we wove through the dense greenery.

I tried not to snort. "No," I answered flippantly. "I'm too focused on school." Lie.

"Ah yes," Jacob nodded sagely, "I, too, am a devoted scholar."

I burst out laughing. Something told me that Jacob wasn't exactly a prize pupil. "Of course. That would explain your excellent observation skills."

"Huh?"

"It's pouring outside – not to mention, freezing as well – and you didn't bring a rain jacket."

Jacob shrugged. "I don't really feel it."

"How can you not feel it?" I demanded, shivering inside my own sturdy rain coat.

"I don't know." I could tell he didn't want to talk about it. "Look," he said suddenly, "Here we are."

I tore my gaze from him and rested my eyes on the biggest, tallest, mossiest tree I had ever seen. It was easily as wide as my car and my mom's car put together. Thick, moss-furred branches protruded copiously from the behemoth, curling up like goal posts. It was the absolute most perfect climbing tree I'd ever seen.

"Let's go," Jake urged, launching himself into the branches. He climbed with a grace I hadn't expected for someone of his size – leaping agilely between branches, climbing and lifting with impressive strength. I followed him, feeling clumsy and uncoordinated in comparison, even though I'd been quite the tree-climber as a child.

We reached a thick branch that had a thinner one growing just behind, and slightly above it that served well as a backrest. Sitting next to Jacob, at least thirty feet above the ground, I felt slightly unreal. I felt less inhibited – as if the real world didn't exist up in this mossy refuge, so I wouldn't need to face the consequences of my slightly foolish actions.

Jake seemed to feel the same way. He wrapped an arm around me as we talked, and I let myself lean into him, surprised by his incredible warmth.

"Jake, you're too hot," I exclaimed, pulling away from him.

"Why, thank you, Cat. That's what all the girls say."

"No, I mean your skin – you're burning up!"

Jacob didn't seem terribly alarmed. "My temperature always runs high."

"You feel like an electric blanket," I argued.

"And you're cold. There's no downside."

I could see I wasn't getting anywhere with him. Just when Paul's odd behavior that first night and their reluctance to acknowledge it had begun to fade from my thoughts, Jacob confused me even more. I knew he was hiding something big – and his sneakiness only made me more determined to figure it out.

I settled back into the crook of his arm, content to let it be for the moment.

"Hey, Cat?" Jacob murmured.

I turned my head to meet his gaze. His eyes were soft as he leaned closer to me, dipping his head slowly. I knew what was going to happen, and I couldn't seem to control myself. As if under a spell, I slowly leaned into him. The world around me faded, and all I could see were Jake's dark eyes, trained on my mouth, and I felt myself falling into him.

Suddenly, Jacob stiffened. "Oh no," he growled under his breath.

"What?" I asked, alarmed.

He exhaled slowly in irritated exasperation. "We've got company."

I looked down at the fern covered forest floor.

One by one, each of the boys I'd met on that first night, filtered out of the trees – appearing like shadowy wraiths. Finally, the last to appear, was a man who I'd never met before. He was impassive as he surveyed us.

"Hey, Sam."

Sam nodded a silent greeting.

I watched, transfixed, as all of the boys fixed their eyes on Jacob, as if waiting for a response. I turned to him as well. To my surprise, he scowled darkly and shook his head. The expressions of the other boys darkened, though Sam remained unreadable.

"No!" Jacob snapped finally, his arm around my shoulders suddenly gripping me painfully.

"Ow!" I cried, trying to push free of his vice-like grip.

"Calm down, Jake," Sam ordered. Jake took a deep breath, loosening his grasp on me.

"Sorry," he murmured. He pulled away from me and began descending the tree. He left me behind without even a second glance. Self-consciously, I began to descend the tree, trying to ignore the feeling of five pairs of eyes boring into my back. The hostility rolling off of them was palpable, frightening me. I was lost in the woods, surrounded by five large, angry guys. I didn't really think they would hurt me, but I couldn't help but entertain the fear.

When I reached the ground, Jake had drifted over to the others, and stood behind Sam, looking defiant, yet resolute.

"We'll take you back to the house," Sam said gently.

-

I stormed back into Sue's house furiously. My irritation at Jacob's abandonment, coupled with Sue's determination to get my mom and Charlie together, snowballed into a full-blown snit. I didn't even take off my raincoat as I marched into the kitchen. Mom, Sue, Billy, and Charlie looked up from their card game, startled.

"Cat, honey, what's wrong? Where's Jacob?"

"He's with his friends," I growled. I glanced surreptitiously at Billy, who shifted uncomfortably in his wheelchair.

Sue asked cautiously, "How did you like the tree?"

"Marvelous," I snarled. I stared pointedly at my mother, raising my eyebrows. Taking the hint, mom put her cards down.

"I suppose we'd better be going. Cat has school tomorrow, and I'm sure she has homework to finish."

I stood back, arms folded, as she slid her pile of dimes into her purse. "See you later, Sue, Billy, Charlie." She nodded to them each, giving Charlie a special smile, which he returned. I felt my temper rising, but I didn't make a scene. I had a feeling I was already going to get an earful on the way home for my rudeness.

I was right. As soon as mom started the ignition, she began yelling.

"Catherine Leigh Schwartz! Where did you learn your manners!?"

I pursed my lips tightly and prepared myself for a _long _drive home.

"It's bad enough that you were so disrespectful to your own mother – but you were completely inappropriate to Sue and Billy and Charlie! I don't know who you think you are –" Mom stopped abruptly, gasping sharply as she stamped on the brakes. I screamed as I was flung forward, my seatbelt locking just in time to keep me from smashing into the dashboard. The tires squealed as we slid down the road, leaving black streaks on the pavement.

"Mom! What the –"

I looked up sharply to see what made her stop, and gasped in terror. The very same wolves I'd run into when I was hiking were crossing the road in front of us. They didn't even hesitate to give us a glance. They darted quickly over the road and disappeared into the trees on the other side.

For a minute after they'd passed, we sat in the stunned silence on the road, listening to the murmur of the engine.

Finally, mom gasped again. "Oh my God." And then she floored it home, lecture long-forgotten.

_I hope Cat doesn't seem like too much of a brat. She's just very protective of those she loves, and her heart is always in the right place, even if she's a little over-zealous about it. Oh – get very excited, because Bella and Edward are coming in the next chapter! As long as the internet cooperates, I should have Chapter 4 up by Tuesday. Yay! Reviews please!!_


	4. Dinner

_Yikes, I know I promised Tuesday, but as I've pointed out before – internet is not reliable at my house. The internet has been so incredibly slow lately – it takes about half an hour to load one page, so considering all the steps involved…I just wasn't willing to sit on the computer for four hours in order to get this up (sorry). But here it is, finally, I hope it's worth the anticipation. As promised, Edward and Bella finally come into the picture._

I tossed off my raincoat and dumped my backpack in the front hall. I could hear Mom on the phone again, no doubt with Sue. I rolled my eyes and went to the fridge, looking for an after school snack. Just when I'd settled on an apple, Mom said something that made me lose my appetite entirely.

"Okay, see you tonight, Charlie."

My fingers clenched and the apple jumped from my grasp, landing on the floor with a dull thud.

"Of course! I can't wait to meet them… okay… bye!" She put the phone down with a little giggle.

"Mom!" I cried, glaring. "What are you talking to _him_ for?!"

"Who?"

"Charlie!"

Mom sighed. "I enjoy his company, Catherine." _Catherine – _she was trying to make me act reasonably.

I scowled. Clearly she didn't understand what this could do to what remained of our family, but I couldn't very well spell it out for her. She'd either get all mopey and depressed about Dad again, or she'd get mad at me and extend my grounding, which was nearly over.

"Oh, and he's coming over for dinner, so go clean up and then get down here. I need your help with the house."

I growled. Mom ignored me.

"His daughter and son-in-law are coming over as well. They're visiting from Alaska – I think Charlie said Denali. His daughter's only two years older than you – maybe you'll hit it off."

"She's only nineteen and she's _married_?" I repeated incredulously.

"Some people find true love at a young age," Mom sniffed. I remembered that she met Dad as a freshman in college and shut my mouth. "Now go change into something nice, and then get back down here.

- - - - -

The house gleamed. The kitchen table was cleared of bills and junk and set with the best plates and glasses. After two hours of me sweeping, scrubbing, and wiping while Mom slaved frantically over the stove, she considered the house presentable. Still, she was a perfectionist, and it was not as good as she would have liked.

"Oh, I wanted to repaint the kitchen – I should've done that last weekend!"

"Mom, it's fine."

"And that linoleum is disgusting. We have to get it replaced."

"Nobody will notice."

"That stupid window sticks – it's impossible to open."

"Who's going to open a window?" I demanded, exasperated. "It's raining cats and dogs!"

Mom subsided, but I could see her scrutinizing each imperfection in the house. Dinner was simmering on the stove over a low heat, while she wrung her hands, waiting for Charlie's arrival. Her anxiety made me nervous, and I decided to be on my best manners for her. She was clearly making a mistake by pursuing this Charlie, but I obviously couldn't change her mind about him. The best I could do was support her, and hope for the best.

Suddenly, the doorbell rang and Mom nearly leapt out of her skin. "He's here!" she said breathlessly.

"So answer the door," I prodded. She smoothed her hair, took a breath, and glided to the front hall. I waited by the stove, peering in the oven at the manicotti. The door opened, and I drifted over to the table, running my fingers over the place settings.

"Hi Charlie! Oh, this must be Isabella and Edward? My goodness, you are a beautiful couple."

There was a pause, when I could hear nothing, but someone clearly responded.

"Of course – Bella. I'll remember that. Come in, please, get out of the rain. I hope you like Italian – I made manicotti. It's an old recipe from my grandmother, who was, oddly enough, Oneida." Mom was babbling. I wanted to step in and save her, but I didn't know what to do. I waited by the table, eager to see Charlie's daughter and son-in-law. How beautiful were they? My mom didn't usually comment on such things.

I heard footsteps drifting toward the kitchen, and I fixed a genial smile on my face. _Best behavior_, I reminded myself sternly.

Mom stepped into the kitchen first, closely followed by Charlie. As Charlie stepped out of the hall, his daughter glided into view, holding her husband's hand. The polite smile fell from my face. Their startling beauty was horrifyingly familiar.

"Jesus Christ," I gasped.

"Catherine! Watch your language!" Mom said sharply.

"You look a little pale," Charlie commented. "Are you alright?"

I took a step away from the beautiful Edward and Bella. Both of them were beautiful beyond belief, unnaturally pale, unearthly.

They were vampires.

"Cat," Mom nudged me sharply. I jumped, realized I'd been staring with my mouth open and tried to reassemble my features into something resembling normalcy.

"Nice to meet you," I croaked hoarsely.

Bella and Edward glanced at each other. "Nice to meet you," they both replied.

After the awkward pleasantries, Mom ushered everyone over to the table. "Sit down – I'll get the food." She fanned herself with an oven mit after she set the manicotti at the center of the table.

"My mom said you live in Alaska," I said, as Mom dished out manicotti. Despite my paralyzing fear of them, I found myself drawn to them at the same time – like a mouse, hypnotized by the sinuous dance of a hungry snake.

Edward stared at me a second, his expression inscrutable. After a pause, his brow furrowed and his expression darkened. He turned sharply to Bella and murmured something inaudible. She looked to me, her eyes wide.

Just when the silence was beginning to get awkward, Bella finally answered, "Yes, we live in Denali."

Mom smiled. "Well, if I'm hot, then the Alaskans must be boiling alive. I think I'll crack a window." She started for the window over the stove, but that was the one that stuck, so instead she opened the window just behind me.

_Great_, I thought_, now I get to freeze to death._

She raised the window a few inches, so the rain wouldn't get in. I could feel the cool breeze immediately – a welcome relief in the sweltering hot kitchen. The wind fluttered past me, stirring the napkins, and pushing the steam off the manicotti. It fluttered through Bella's hair, where she sat across from me at the table.

As soon as the soft breeze hit her, she stiffened. Her hands went to the table's edge, where she clutched tightly. I watched in astonishment as Edward gently prized her hands away, revealing deep gouges in the wood where her fingertips had been. Neither Mom or Charlie noticed. Mom was sitting next to Charlie, hanging onto his every word as he discussed work.

I looked back to Bella and Edward. Edward held her arm tightly – while it appeared he was soothing her, I could tell he was restraining her. Bella's eyes – amber when she arrived, had gone coal black. I remembered the vampire from the forest – whose blood red eyes shifted to vermillion rage when he was about to attack. My chest tightened and my breath grew shallow.

Bella lurched in her seat, but Edward caught her firmly around the shoulders and pressed her down forcefully. Even Mom and Charlie couldn't ignore that. Charlie looked up sharply.

"Something wrong, Bells?" he asked, looking concerned. Bella shook her head rigidly.

"I think she's cold," Edward said, his voice velvety and hypnotic. I found myself a bit dazed.

"I'm sorry!" Mom exclaimed, startling me back into reality. She jumped up from the table. "I'll close the window."

"It's not your fault," Charlie said quickly. "Bella was in an accident last year – she has some difficulties because of it."

Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Edward glance surreptitiously at Charlie. Something about the story rang false, though I could tell Charlie believed every word he said. It occurred to me that Bella might have been human not so long ago, and it was perhaps Edward's fault that she was no longer human.

What was I thinking? How did I know they were vampires? In fact, how did I even know that one guy in the woods was a vampire? Maybe he _was _an albino – an abnormally fast… freakishly strong… murderous albino. Maybe…

I shook my head, trying to clear the memory of that day from my mind. _They're not vampires, _I told myself sternly. _They're just very pale, and very beautiful, and Bella's cold. She was in an accident – she's probably anemic or something… that would explain her paleness. _I sat back, satisfied, and took another bite of my dinner. A new thought interrupted my peace._ But what about Edward? What's his excuse? And how can they be so beautiful?_ I shook my head again, harder. _They're not vampires._

"Cat? Are you okay?" Mom asked, sitting down again.

"Yeah, fine. I just felt dizzy." _They're not vampires!_

Seconds after the window had closed, Bella was able to relax. She still sat rigidly at the table, but Edward didn't need to restrain her. Her eyes faded from black to dark brown. _Maybe it was the cold…or maybe it was… me? The wind had to blow right past me to get to everyone else. And if she has such a problem with the cold, why the hell do they live in Alaska, for God's sake?_

Throughout dinner, Mom and Charlie did most of the talking. I sat quietly at my end, head down, watching Bella and Edward through my veil of hair. Edward was tall, perfectly muscled, with bronze hair, high, sharp cheek bones and intense amber eyes. Bella was short, slim, with full red lips, a sheet of dark brown hair and a heart-shaped face. They murmured to each other throughout the meal, but I couldn't catch a word of their conversations. Occassionally, they glanced at me, but they always looked away quickly. Neither of them ate anything, either. They pushed the manicotti around with their forks, but never lifted them to their mouths.

When the plates had been cleared and dessert polished off, Charlie made a few minutes of polite conversation, then rose from his seat. "I suppose I should be getting home, now. I'm sure Bella is a little tired, and I've got work tomorrow."

Bella and Edward rose as well, looking wary. Mom got to her feet, and quickly gave Charlie a small hug. "Thank you for coming over," she said, "I had a really good time."

Red-faced, Charlie stammered, "Uh, yes, Dinner was… really good. Thanks."

I sighed and looked down at my plate. Didn't she have any self-control?

"It was wonderful meeting you both," Mom said to Bella and Edward. "Here," she stretched out her arms and wrapped them both in a friendly hug. Bella's eyes widened and darkened again. Forgetting any semblance of manners, I lunged across the room and wrenched my mother out of their grasp.

"Cat! What are you doing?!" Mom sputtered.

Edward had thrown an arm around Bella's shoulders, clenching tight. Bella closed her eyes tightly, hands balled into fists.

"I… uh, I thought you… had sauce on your shirt."

"What?" Mom glared at me.

"You might have gotten it on them."

Mom quirked an eyebrow, but she didn't push the issue. "Well, it was lovely meeting you, anyway. I hope Cat hasn't frightened you away," she joked. She was speaking to Bella and Edward, but her gaze strayed to Charlie.

"No, of course not," Edward said easily, smiling a sweet, crooked smile. I felt my breath hitch in my throat. "It was very kind of her to save our clothes from staining." He gave me a look that removed any doubt about his and Bella's existence. It was a look that said, _I know what you were really saving her from._ There was no malice or spite in our silent communication, but something told me I confounded him. He gave me a curious glance as they turned to go, Bella walking stiffly as he guided her out the front door.

I went to the living room window, and watched them pull out. When their taillights had faded from view, I looked at the end of our quiet road, where the forest sat ominously, dark and silent. As my eyes adjusted to the dark, I could have sworn I saw several pairs of eyes staring back at me – and then they were gone. I gasped, and stumbled back from the window, rushing to find my mother. As I stumbled through the living room and into the kitchen, a deep, mournful howl filled the night, and a shiver ran down my spine.

_In case you couldn't tell, those weren't vampire eyes she saw in the woods. I hope this chapter didn't disappoint – rest assured that there will be a lot more Bella and Edward in this fic – they'll probably be in almost every chapter from here on out. Oh, and to answer a previous question: the first vampire that Cat met was not somebody we know from Twilight or New Moon, but he will play a role in the future of this fic. Please review! I will lavish you with love and adoration and kittens for any reviews!_


	5. The Beach

_Yay, Q&A time! Okay:_

_Q. Could Edward read Cat's mind?  
__A. Mayyyyybeeeee…read and find out, you lazy minxes._

_Q. Is Cat la tua cantante for Bella?  
__A. Please reference previous answer._

_Q. Are you mildly insane?  
__A. Yes, but I'm usually harmless._

_As you see, I am very secretive and cunning. But never fear, dear readers, for all your questions will be answered in today's update! Voila! Enjoy._

_**-Bella-**_

We left quickly, as soon as we could. Edward all but dragged me from the house. I hardly noticed. I was so overcome with the girl's scent that I could hardly see straight, let alone walk and talk coherently. As soon as we stepped out into the cool rain, I regained some sense of myself, but I still wanted nothing more than to turn back around and leap on her. Her scent was bewitching, exotic, sweet and beautiful.

Edward pushed me forward and forced me into the Volvo through the driver's side, so that he could keep his grasp on me as he crawled into the vehicle. As soon as he was inside, he started the ignition and peeled out of the driveway.

He said nothing as we drove. Slowly, the minutes ticked away, and I gradually regained my control. After fifteen minutes, the memory of her scent was weak and faded. How could I have lost control so terribly? Surely she couldn't smell that wonderful? Her blood couldn't taste as perfect as her scent…? But the thing that threw me the most, was the fact that Edward couldn't read her mind. When he whispered it to me over dinner, I'd nearly gasped aloud. But all worries about that were lost as soon as I thought of her scent once again.

I took a shaky breath to clear my mind. It was just a slip. I'd only been a vampire for a little over a year – my control was not perfect. Slips were bound to happen. I would have to meet that girl again – what was her name? Cat. I would have to meet Cat again, so I could prove to myself that I wasn't so incredibly weak. At the same time, I knew that I wanted to see her for more than that. I wanted her scent… I wanted her blood…

"Bella," Edward interrupted my thoughts, making me jump. I looked to him guiltily, hoping he didn't see right through me.

"Yes?"

"What happened?" he asked warily.

I sighed, wondering how I would explain. "I wasn't ready for it, Edward." I looked out the window, into the forest, unable to meet his gaze. Would he be ashamed that I was so weak? So careless? "The open window – it blew Cat's scent right at me."

"You've been around humans for months now, with hardly any problem. We went hunting right before dinner. I don't understand how…" he trailed off, looking at a loss.

Was he disappointed? I couldn't take that – I'd begged and pleaded to be changed, and now I couldn't even handle it. "She wasn't like the others," I explained, despite my shame. "She smelled… so delicious. She smelled like… like lavender and chocolate. She was _perfect_." I closed my eyes tightly and pressed my fingers to my temples, fighting the wave of bloodlust that came over me. "I couldn't see, hear, or smell anything except her."

Edward nodded with a soft sigh. "That's what I was afraid of."

"What?" I looked to him, worriedly. How could he already know what I was explaining?

"She… she's your _singer_, Bella. _La tua cantante_."

-- -- --

_**-Cat-**_

The morning after that strange, strange dinner, Mom was floating around the house with a distant smile. Even when her editor called to discuss revisions for her latest manuscript, Mom was chipper. I sighed in disgust. Obviously, she couldn't go back now. I could only hope that Charlie would not hurt her. And if he did… well, I wasn't sure what I would do. All kinds of wicked inspirations occurred to me – sugar in the gas tank, egg his house, graffiti his driveway…

I shook my head, somewhat amused with myself. Charlie hadn't done anything wrong, but I'd already planned on his punishment. What did that say about me? Probably nothing good. I went into the family room, to escape Mom's humming and spaced-out smiles. Now that I knew Mom was associating with vampires and their ilk, it made the situation a little more pressing. But I couldn't think of anything to do. I pushed the worries from my mind.

Saturday morning cartoons seemed like a good way to forget about vampires.

During a commercial, I went to the kitchen to find something to eat. While I was rummaging through the nearly empty fridge, the phone rang. It was probably Mom's editor again. I picked up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Cat?" a deep, manly voice greeted me.

"Who is this?"

"It's Jacob Black. Remember – I made you climb a giant tree in the rain at night, and then sorta' left you up there?"

"Ah yes," I said primly, still irked with him. If he thought turning it into a joke was going to win me over, then he was in for an unpleasant surprise. "Are you sure you can talk to me?" I asked frostily. "Your friends might not approve."

I could practically hear Jake wincing on his end. "Yeah, sorry about that. They're... really protective. Especially Sam."

"He's not your dad. You don't have to do what he says," I pointed out, refusing to be mollified.

Jake sighed impatiently. "Look, that's not what I want to talk about."

"Who says I want to talk to you at all?" I demanded haughtily. I immediately wished I hadn't said it – but I never can seem to control my temper. I bit my lip and hoped Jake wasn't too offended. I was still bothered that he let his friends ruin our fun and make me feel like a complete leper, but still… I liked him. A lot.

"Okay, I guess I deserve that," Jake said reluctantly. I sighed in relief – he wasn't mad. "But I really want to talk to you, okay?"  
I felt myself softening, twisting my fingers nervously in the phone cord. "Alright… what do you want?"

"Um, not on the phone. Do you want to go to the beach? We can go swimming."

"It's November!"

"Oh, right." Jake sounded genuinely surprised, as if it hadn't occurred to him not to go swimming in autumn.

"We can still go to the beach," I said quickly. I was eager to see him, but I didn't want to let on. "I haven't seen the beach here. I bet it's really pretty." I blushed suddenly, though I didn't know why.

"Yeah, it's cool." Jake sounded distracted. "Can you be there at noon?"

"Okay."

I wrote down his directions on a napkin, then hung up the phone, confused. He was treating this like a business meeting – not friends hanging out… or more. Did he really want to see me? Or did he feel guilty for the way he treated me last week? Ugh. I didn't think I could stand his pity.

-- -- --

I crawled down the pebbled beach, watching my feet carefully. I was usually pretty graceful, especially since I'd taken figure skating lessons for nine years, but the pebbles made me nervous. I expected a landslide to go rushing down the sloped beach at any moment, taking me with it.

When Jake finally came into view, I felt a stab of disappointment. He'd brought all of his friends with him. The six of them lounged on a driftwood tree, bleached bone white by the salt of the ocean. Jacob rested against the roots, which fanned out behind him like an ornate throne.

When I reached the tree, they all regarded me calmly, though I sensed hostility in some of their eyes.

"Hi," I said casually, trying to hide my nerves. What was going on? A terrifying thought flashed into my mind for a moment – _rape_ – but I banished it away immediately. Jake would never do such a thing to me. _But how do you know? _My subconscious countered fearfully. _You've only talked to him… what – twice? Three times?_

Jake slid off the tree and smiled easily. "Hey, Cat. How's it going?"

"Fine," I said, breathing a sigh of relief as the hostile atmosphere dissipated. "How are you?"

"Pretty good. You want to go for a walk?"

I glanced at the other boys for a second.

"With just me," Jacob clarified.

"Sure, okay."

Jacob glanced at Sam, who nodded minutely, then took me by the hand. The others, who had been silent and guarded up to then, suddenly broke out into hoots and hollers.

"Keep your hands where we can see 'em, Jake!" called Quil.

"Don't go too far, you two!" Embry shouted in a falsetto.

Jake growled under his breath, pulling me along faster. "Ignore them," he hissed.

Five voices joined in unison, belting out, "Jake and Catherine sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

_Almost_, I thought bitterly, remembering our interruption. I blushed scarlet at the thought, trying not to look at Jake. Fortunately, he'd swiveled around to face his friends. "Shut up!" he growled. Their song broke off into a chorus of laughter. Jake snarled again, and grabbed my arm, pulling me along. "Let's go, before they think of something else."

We walked in silence until the others were out of sight.

"Sorry about them," Jacob sighed, looking irritated and amused at the same time.

I chuckled appreciatively, but I couldn't help but wonder why his friends were even here. "Is this like a chaperoned date, or something?" I teased.

Jake rolled his eyes. "I guess you could put it that way."

That wasn't the answer I was expecting. "What?"

"Well, I told you they were really protective."

"So – what? They're supervising you?!" I demanded, incredulous.

"Yeah… they kind of are," Jake admitted sheepishly.

"What?! Why?"

Jake paused, searching for an answer. "Sometimes I don't always… follow the rules."

"What does that mean?" I demanded suspiciously.

"I say too much… get myself and other people into trouble… that sort of thing," he explained casually, running a hand over his short-cropped black hair.

"Hmmm."

"So," Jake changed the subject, "You had dinner with Chief Swan last night?"

"Yeah – how'd you know?" I glanced at him. Had he been spying on me? Was it normal for me to be flattered that I possibly had a stalker?

"Sue told me," Jacob said, unaware of my scrutiny. Of course Sue told him! I'm sure my mom was on the phone with Sue this morning, filling her in on all the details.

"Oh, yeah. Charlie's daughter and son-in-law came too. Um… Bella and Edward."

Jacob froze in his tracks, his hands clenching into white-knuckled fists. "Oh, really?" he said stiffly. I rose an eyebrow, confused by his bizarre reaction. Was it possible that he knew they were vampires? I continued on, testing my theory.

"The two of them are freakishly beautiful," I said nonchalantly, taking Jake's hand and trying to pull him along with me. He began walking again, albeit stiffly. "Charlie said Bella was in an accident last year – that's why she's so pale."

Jacob froze again. I looked up at his face, jaw clenched, lips pressed into a thin line. His cheeks were flushed, and he looked ready to pummel somebody. I stepped away fearfully, but I kept talking.

"I wonder what her accident was… it must have left her anemic. That's probably why she's so pale."

Jacob threw his arms out furiously. "She wasn't in an accident!" he snapped. The muscles in his back spasmed, making his shoulders rise and hunch. He suddenly looked so frightening, and nothing like the friendly boy I'd first met at Sue's. I took another step back.

"Jake?" I said meekly, afraid.

Suddenly the other five boys appeared at the other end of the beach, running desperately towards us. They shouted Jacob's name frantically, running as fast as they could – which was, impressively, quite fast.

"They took her to Italy!" Jacob roared furiously. "Because _that _didn't violate the goddamned treaty!"

"What? What treaty?"

Jake jerked his head from side to side. His hands were clenched in tight fists and he was breathing like someone who'd just finished a marathon. The muscles in his arms bulged threateningly, and for the first time, I was aware of the damage someone of Jacob's size could do.

"Jake, what's wrong?" I cried, as Sam raced up behind me.

"Jacob, no!" he ordered sharply.

So suddenly, that I wasn't really even sure what happened, Sam yanked me back, hard. I cried out angrily as I stumbled over the pebbles and fell to the ground. "Protect her!" Sam barked at the other boys as Jacob leapt forward, and suddenly… _exploded_. Fur flew out from his body like the light of dying star, and when he landed on the beach again… he was a wolf. But not just any wolf – he was one of the massive wolves I'd seen in the forest. I gasped in terror as Sam leapt forward to meet him, and after another explosion of fur, landed between me and Jake as a massive wolf.

Quil grabbed me by the arm, dragging me away from the two of them. I watched, breathless, as the two giant wolves raced down the beach and disappeared into the forest, growling and barking. Stunned silence reigned in their wake – the only sound that of water lapping on the beach.

"Oh my God," I finally gasped, looking at the other four boys. I couldn't breathe, I didn't think my heart was beating, and I was sure all the blood in my body had drained from my face. They glanced at each other with raised eyebrows, looking uncertain. Suddenly, Quil broke out into a wide smile.

"Um… surprise!"

I couldn't speak. I could only stare in shock.

"So, I guess the cat's out of the bag now," Embry murmured.

"Dog's out of the bag," Jared corrected him with a smirk.

"Jake should've had better control than that," Paul commented.

"Yeah," Quil mused. "Hey," he looked down at me. "What'd you say to Jake?"

Their unconcerned nonchalance was the last thing I saw before I passed out.

_I actually had a different version of this chapter on my flashdrive, but it has gone kaput so I had to rewrite it. I think I like this version better. The old version didn't have the Bella POV, which I like a lot. I might include it in future chapters as well. And the old version had Cat somehow jump to the conclusion that Jake was a werewolf, rather than actually witnessing it. The next chapter is going to be a whole lot of Edward and Bella, with just a dash of Jacob. Tell me what you guys thought! I like reviews even more than I like vampires and werewolves. (And that is A LOT)_


	6. The Kiss

_I like writing this fic the best, because I can write in my own voice, since Cat is an original character. Though, I'm a bit more polite than Cat, I think. Plus, I've never befriended werewolves… that I know of. Anyways, I'm glad it's going over so well, because I'm having a good time writing it. Please keep reviewing!_

When I regained consciousness, I was laying on my back, looking up into four anxious faces. The boys threw their arms up and cheered when I finally came round, drawing a reluctant smile from me. They were actually pretty charming when they wanted to be.

"She lives!" Embry declared, sinking to his knees and throwing his arms open to the heavens.

"Give her some air," Jared said, pushing Embry out of the way. I sat up slowly, my head swimming.

"Where's Jake? Is he okay?" Sam's vicious snarling, chasing him down the beach and into the trees, echoed menacingly in my head. "Sam didn't… hurt him, did he?"

"What is it with girls these days?" Quil demanded, shaking his head wonderingly. "Just in case you didn't notice – you were nearly torn to shreds by an angry werewolf. Maybe you should be checking to make sure you've got all your limbs."

I swallowed nervously at the word werewolf. So it was true. I was almost ready to take myself home and spend a few hours convincing myself that werewolves didn't exist – just as I'd done with vampires. "Girls these days?" I echoed incredulously. "Maybe the problem is Forks! Werewolves and vampires!"

They glanced at each other. "Are you talking about Bella?" Embry asked, suddenly serious.

"Well, I met her already," I snapped, "But she isn't the first I've encountered!"

Realization dawned on them. "We saved you a few weeks ago, didn't we?" Jared asked. Suddenly, I made the connection as well. I completely forgot about the massive wolves who interrupted my certain doom – I'd been too preoccupied by thoughts of vampires. It was them! Jake and his friends had saved me.

"So… you guys are good, right?" I asked hesitantly.

"We're the good guys," Embry affirmed, looking grim. "We're the protectors. We wouldn't exist, if it wasn't for the bloodsuckers." He gave the word an animosity that was almost frightening. I took a step back, wondering if he was going to freak out like Jacob did.

"Don't worry," Embry assured me. "I'm okay."

"Why did Jake get so mad?" Paul asked me. "He's not usually so…" he trailed off, but I got the meaning.

"I was talking to him about the Cullens. Charlie's daughter and son-in-law had dinner with me and my mom last night."

Understanding flooded their features. They nodded sagely, glancing at each other. Confused and irritated at being out of the loop, I demanded, "What's so bad about the Cullens, aside from them being vampires?"

"Well, if that's not enough," Quil explained tersely, "Bella's not exactly –"

Embry cut him off with a look.

"Maybe Jake should explain," Quil finished contritely.

I crossed my arms expectantly, but nobody spoke. It seemed I would have to talk to Jake. "Fine," I said at last. "Then, when is Jake getting back?"

"Probably not for a while," Paul said knowingly. "It takes a while to cool down."

"We'll tell Jake to call you, okay?" Embry suggested. I agreed, only because I knew that they wouldn't tell me what I wanted. The four of them ushered me back to my car, joking and laughing the whole way, and generally lifting my mood. I liked Jake's friends. I wished I could go to school on the reservation, instead of in Forks.

-- -- --

When I got home, Mom was in the bathroom, digging through her make-up.

"Where are you going?" I asked, as I passed by on my way to my room.

"Charlie asked me out to dinner!" she enthused, careful not to stab herself in the eye with the mascara wand.

"_Again?_" I demanded. "He just had dinner with us last night."

"Yes, well, he's returning the favor. He can't cook, so he's taking me for dinner in Port Angeles."

"Oh, mom," I sighed wearily.

-

At five on the dot, Charlie was at the front door. Mom had dressed sexy, yet subtle. She wore a black satin pencil skirt with heels and modest, but well-cut cashmere sweater. She'd let her long, silky black hair fall down her back like shining ribbons, and her make-up was done naturally, only to enhance her already beautiful features. Poor Charlie wouldn't know what hit him.

I answered the door, greeting Charlie with a reluctant hello. He was dressed nicely – a blue polo shirt and freshly ironed trousers. I wondered if he'd done the trousers himself – he didn't seem like the type who was really handy with an iron. It looked like he'd even run gel through his curly hair.

"Mom! Charlie's here!" I called. She already knew he was here, though. It was only for show. She strolled around the corner with a smile. Charlie smiled shyly, nervously.

Ugh. The awkwardness of a first date. It was weird being on the other side of the looking glass. Before Dad died, I'd gone on a grand total of two dates, and I couldn't fathom what my parents were thinking while my prospective date and I greeted each other nervously in the foyer. Now it was me, playing the critic, sizing up my mother's choice in a man. I couldn't say that he was found wanting, but I still wasn't exactly pleased that she was already leaping back into the dating pool.

As they departed for Charlie's cruiser, I couldn't help shouting after them, "You two be good! No funny business, Charlie!" Mom laughed for Charlie's benefit, but she looked back to fix me with a glare that he couldn't see. I shut the door with a grin, and watched them pull away from the window in the living room.

-

At six o'clock, there was a knock on the door. I peered through the side window. Jacob stood on the porch, smiling sheepishly. I pulled the door open quickly, trying to hide my excitement.

"Hi, Jake. Come in."

He stepped in and I shut the door behind him.

"Where are the rest of your friends?"

"Quil and Embry are nearby."

"So… are you feeling better?"

Jake barked out a surprised laugh. "Feeling better?" he repeated incredulously. "How about, 'Hi Jake. Not going to kill me, are you?'"

I laughed, trying to soothe his guilt. "You won't hurt me. But… I suppose I shouldn't bring up what we were talking about before?"

Jake sighed. "No, I'm okay now. I just wasn't expecting you to bring up… Bella."

"I knew she was a vampire," I said cautiously, carefully gauging Jake's reaction.

"Maybe we should sit down. It's kind of a long story."

I led him into the living room, sitting on the couch next to him. Again, I was struck by how incredibly warm he was. It was like sitting next to an oven.

"Okay," I said, settling into the couch. "Explain away."

Jake took a deep breath, searching for words. After a stretch of silence, he finally said, "I used to like Bella. I mean – love. But she was already with somebody… a vampire."  
"Edward Cullen?" I guessed.

Jake nodded tensely. I took his hand in mine. Jake looked down at my small hand, swallowed in his, and smiled.

"Yeah. Anyways, he left her. He just went away, completely broke her heart, and destroyed her. She was alone and depressed and lost without him. So, we were friends, and she started hanging out with me. She bought these old motorcycles that I fixed up, and taught her how to ride them."

I opened my mouth in surprise. That was what Charlie was talking about with the motorcycles.

"And after a while, I thought, maybe… she and I… we could, you know – be happy together, or whatever." He rolled his eyes, as if to dismiss the idea, but I could tell it still hurt him. "But she was so devoted to him, even though he left and said he wouldn't ever come back." He sighed, shaking his head as he collected his thoughts. His hand flexed painfully around mine, but I didn't say anything. I pulled my hand carefully from his grasp. Jake gave me an apologetic glance before continuing.

"But he came back," I prompted for him. I knew that much – they were married, so apparently Edward had come back for her.

"Yeah. And she just took him back. After all he put her through – the misery, the loneliness – she just took him back.

"I'm sorry," I said softly.

"It's okay, I'm over it. It was a crush, really. It's just the way she abandoned me, that really bothers me. I mean, I was there for her – I helped her when he was gone, and I never asked for anything! And then she just –"

He cut himself off and took another deep breath, calming himself.

"Do you want a soda, or something?" I offered, trying to distract him a little.

Jake shook his head. "No, I'm almost done. Anyways, you know what we are."

"Werewolves," I whispered. I felt ridiculous saying it, but Jacob didn't even crack a smile.

"Yeah – we're protectors. Our job is to destroy the vampires in order to protect the people. But, a long time ago, a vampire coven moved to the area. They were different from other vampires – they said they didn't drink human blood. So we made a treaty with them – so long as they didn't harm a human, we would let them live in peace. But they could never come onto our territory."

"The Cullens?" I guessed again.

Jake nodded. "Bella wanted Edward to change her – wanted to be a vampire, too." Jake snarled, but after a glance at me, he regained control of himself. "But the Cullens couldn't do it, otherwise the treaty would be broken, and we would hunt them down."

"So they took her to Italy?" I filled in the information Jake had snarled before losing control this morning.

"There's a large coven of vampires there. They had an interest in Bella – she's immune to the powers of vampires. They wanted to know what her power would be if she were a vampire."

"They have powers?" I demanded incredulously. "Oh – like speed and strength?"

"No. All vampires are incredibly fast, and unbelievably strong. They have extra powers. Bella's mate can read minds. One of the others can see the future, I think."

"So what happened in Italy?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

"They changed her," Jake sighed bleakly, looking so lost that I couldn't help myself. I threw my arms around him, trying to comfort him. His skin was uncomfortably warm, but I didn't care. After a moment's hesitation, Jake brought his arms around me, pulling me tight against him.

"I'm sorry Jake," I whispered in his ear. "I won't talk about her again."

"It's okay," he murmured. "It really was just a crush. I just… I thought that we were _friends _at the very least."

"Well, I'm your friend," I offered shyly, pulling away from him. "I promise I won't marry a vampire."

Jake laughed. "I'll hold you to it." His smile faded, and his eyes grew soft as he searched my face. His hands on my arms suddenly felt electric, and a gentle tingle ran down my spine as his fingers trailed over my skin. "I thought we could be… more than just friends," Jake said softly.

And just like in the tree, I felt myself falling into him, melting into his warmth. This time there were no angry boys to interrupt. I leaned forward and met him in a soft kiss. I felt seared from head to toe – by the sweetness of his scent, the warmth of his skin, the feel of his lips against mine. I slid my hands up his chest and around his neck, pulling myself closer to him. His arms wrapped around me, pulling me tight against him. A nibble on my lips pulled a pleased giggle from me, and my mouth parted, welcoming his tongue.

With a gasp, Jake pulled away from me. Surprised, and a little hurt, I crawled off his lap and curled up on the end of the couch.

"I'm sorry, Cat," he said quickly, tensely. "It's not you. It's… there's a bloodsucker outside!"

He leapt up from the couch and sprinted to the front door.

"Jake!" I ran after him, fearing for his life. I'd witnessed the strength and speed of a vampire, I couldn't believe that he would be a match for one.

"Stay in the house!" he ordered, but I didn't listen. I ran to the front door, stopping suddenly behind Jake. He was frozen on the porch, staring down at none other than Bella Cullen.

_Dun, dun, DUNNNN!_

_I know I said there would be a whole lot of Bella and Edward this chapter, but I decided to save that for next chapter. I was having too much fun with Jake, so I wanted to keep going with that storyline before I get too involved in the Bella/Edward part of the story. Plus, doing it this way allowed me to bring up the next chapter in a much more interesting way. Tee hee! I love cliff hangers! I hope you guys liked it – I know a lot of you mentioned that you wanted more than just a dash of Jacob for this chapter. So please review and let me know what you think!_


	7. Bella

_Sorry I've been gone for so long. Things have not been good. It's better now. Thank you to all who reviewed for me on anything I've written._

I stared incredulously. "Bella?" I asked, uncertain. What on earth was she doing here? Jake shifted suddenly, blocking my view and trying to shove me back into the house. He was much stronger than me, but I was able to resist him since he refused to turn his back on Bella.

"I'm not here to hurt her," Bella whispered, sounding strained.

"Sure you aren't," Jake answered sarcastically. "You just felt like visiting a girl you barely know without calling or bringing your bloodsucking mate."

Bella flinched at the animosity in Jake's tone. Her curious eyes had gone coal-black, and when she fixed them on me, I fell back an involuntary step. Jake took the opportunity to shove me into the hall and pull the door shut. Furious, I jerked on the handle. When it didn't budge, I slammed my fist angrily against the door.

"Jacob Black – let me out of here before I crawl out a window!"

"Damn it, Cat! Will you just trust me and stay in there!?" After a pause I heard him say quietly, "I don't need your two-cents, leech."

I crept silently along to the living room, and edged the window open. The old wood screeched in protest as it slid against the casement. Alerted, Jacob crossed the porch in a flash, and slammed the window back down.

Fury boiled in me, pushing me beyond reason. I ran to the front door as quickly as I could. Luckily, Jacob was distracted by Bella, and I made it out before it even occurred to him to block the door again.

"Cat!" he growled. "You're not making this any easier!"

"You can't tell me what to do," I snarled back, equally incensed.

Bella watched the exchange between us with a trace of wistfulness. Her mouth curled into a reluctant smile, and the color of her eyes lightened slightly to a coffee shade.

"She's special, isn't she, Jake?" Bella asked softly.

"We're not friends, okay Bella?" Jake snarled. "I'm not going to spill my guts to you." The coldness of his voice faded as he spoke, and he sounded more pained than angry. "Why can't you just leave?" he pleaded. "I don't want to hurt you."

Bella blinked, looking desperate. "I just wanted to see her," she insisted weakly. "I wouldn't hurt her!"

"_Just go_!" Jake snarled.

Bella tossed one last glance at me before nodding at Jake, and taking a careful step back. As she turned to leave, Jake stiffened again. In a blur of motion, Bella's beautiful husband, Edward, appeared at the edge of the yard.

"Bella!" he cried fearfully, but his amber eyes were on me. He strode across the yard at human speed, wrapping Bella in a tight embrace as he surveyed me. His eyes bored into mine, as if he were trying to read my mind. I watched, awestruck by their combined beauty, as he whispered something in her ear, his long fingers stroking her hair. She shook her head slightly, in answer to whatever Edward had whispered.

Edward took a deep breath, and looked up to Jake. "I apologize," he said stiffly. "This was a mistake – it won't happen again."

Jacob looked close to the edge of phasing. I stood back cautiously. Only my pride prevented me from jumping into the house and bolting the door. His fingers curled into tight fists, Jacob growled from between gritted teeth, "Leave. Now."

In another blur of motion, they were gone. I waited cautiously at the edge of the porch until Jacob had regained control of his temper.

"Jake?" I asked nervously. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he sighed wearily. "Fine."

"Do you want to lay down?"

Jake stood a little straighter, raising one eyebrow. "You nearly got eaten. Do you realize that?"

"I don't think she was going to hurt me," I said – and I believed it.

Jake shook his head. "You're just like her, but so different."

"Like who?"

"Nobody." He shook his head. "We're going to have to keep an eye on you. It looks like one of the leeches took a liking to you."

"Why don't you call her Bella?" I asked. I swallowed nervously. I knew it was dangerous, provoking Jacob – but I could see that whatever he might claim about being over Bella, he still harbored some measure of pain over the way things had gone between them – her betrayal.

"Because she's not Bella!" He roared, turning on me. "She's not the girl I used to know – she's a _monster_!"

I nodded silently, knowing I had gone too far. "I'm sorry," I said quietly, looking at my feet.

Jacob said nothing. Before I could look up to gauge his reaction, I felt his arms closing tightly around me. "Don't be sorry," he whispered, his lips moving against my hair. "I should be sorry."

"Why should you be sorry?" I demanded.

He sighed, defeated. "Because I'm a monster, too."

_Sorry it's short. I've got a lot of catching up to do. The next will be longer, I promise._

_In the fourth paragraph, when it says, "I slammed my fist angrily against the door," I accidentally wrote, "I slammed my fish angrily against the door." I couldn't stop laughing because I had this image of Cat beating a cod against the door. _


	8. Leaving

**Yay – update! Thanks so much for all the lovely reviews. People who review are my favorites. By the way, sorry I was gone for so long. I went the Renaissance Faire this weekend with some friends. If you want to see pictures, I put some up on my Deviantart page. (Link is in my profile.)**

_He sighed, defeated. "Because I'm a monster, too."_

"Jake," I said softly, pressing my hand to his cheek. "You're not a monster. You apparently just saved me from a vampire. Monsters don't save people – they hurt."

Jake smiled at me, encouraged.

"Let's go back inside," I insisted, opening the door. Jake followed me into the house, closing the door behind us.

-- -- --

_-Bella-_

Edward was furious. As soon as we returned home, he went to our room and slammed the door. Clearly I was not meant to follow. Alice watched the entire thing silently, giving me a look as if to say, "You know how he is."

"What happened?" she asked softly, as I sat beside her on the couch.

"I went to that girl's house," I confessed shamefully.

"Bella," Alice gasped, losing any of the humor she might have had earlier.

"I know!" I snapped. "I don't know what I was doing!"

Alice frowned to herself. "Why didn't I see that?"

I shook my head wearily. "I didn't plan it. I was hunting and I just found myself there, without even realizing where I was going."

Alice smiled sympathetically. "He's coming back down," she murmured before slipping out of the living room.

I sat quietly on the sofa. The others immediately knew Edward was not in the best of moods and, mercifully, avoided the living room.

"Bella," Edward began quietly.

"I'm sorry!" I interrupted, balling my hands into fists. "I won't do it again. I just… wanted to see her."

Edward shook his head. I couldn't tell if he was angry or sad.

"Edward?"

"Bella, we have to leave. We have to go back to Denali. You're too young for _la tua cantante_."

Admittedly, that first year had been more difficult for me than I even thought possible. But I progressed quickly – either because I already knew what was coming, or because I had seven experienced vampires guiding me. By the sixth month of my new life, I was already able to control my hunger. Even Carlisle was astounded by my rapid adjustment. But _la tua cantante_? How could anyone handle this? How did Edward resist me?

I nodded, defeated. "You're right. We have to leave."

-- -- --

_-Cat-_

I curled up on the couch, pressed against Jacob's warmth as he flipped through the T.V. The afternoon was gray, the light dim, and the rain spattered lightly against the windows, like a hypnotic lullaby. It wasn't long before I dozed off.

-

"Cat." Somebody nudged me awake. I sat up groggily, wondering where the light had gone. Was it night already?

"Mom?"

"Yes." Her voice was tense, short. And I think it had something to do with the boy snoring on our couch, whose arms happened to be wrapped around my shoulders.

"How was dinner?" I asked sweetly, trying to sidetrack her before her temper got riled.

Surprisingly, it worked. "It was wonderful!" she gushed. I suspected her good mood might be partially due to a little wine, but I wasn't going to complain if it was going to get me off the hook.

"Yeah?" I asked enthusiastically. "I'll let you change, and then you can tell me all about it."

Mom smiled pleasantly. "Thanks, hon. These shoes are killing me."

As soon as she disappeared around the doorway, I shook Jacob's shoulder frantically. He awoke in a flash, as alert as if he'd never been asleep.

"What's wrong?" he asked quickly. "Is Bella back?"

"Worse than vampires – it's my mom."

Jake relaxed immediately. "Cool."

"No, not cool. You have to go while she's still distracted by her date. I'm not allowed to have boys over when nobody's home!"

"But you're seventeen."

"It doesn't matter. My parents –" I felt a pang in my chest, and I swallowed hard, correcting myself, "My mom is really strict."

Jacob couldn't seem to fathom that I still had to follow rules at my age. "But… you're almost an adult," he insisted, confused.

"Yes, and I would like to live to see eighteen. So if you don't mind?"

He sighed and stood reluctantly. I hurried him to the door. As he paused, I listened frantically for sounds of my mother's approach.

"Bye, Jake." I pulled the door open for him.

"Cat, relax," he said, bemused by my panic. "I'll see you later, okay?"

"Yeah, see you later."

He leaned down suddenly and pressed a soft kiss against my lips. Every frantic thought racing through my mind quickly disappeared and I was only aware of the feel of his lips and the heat of his body. I stumbled slightly as he pulled away.

"Bye, Cat."

"Um… bye," I said breathlessly as he hopped easily down the porch steps and disappeared into the night.

Mom chose that exact moment to return. "Cat?" she called from the kitchen. I pressed the door shut as quietly as I could and slipped back into the living room.

"In here, Mom!"

She pranced into the living room like an excited puppy, wearing an old, over-sized t-shirt for pajamas.

"So…" I began awkwardly. I really would just like to know as little as possible about the details of Mom's relationship with Charlie. "Did you have fun?"

"I had such a good time!" Mom declared, clutching her hands coyly beneath her chin.

"Where'd you go?"  
"He took me to this little Italian place in Port Angeles. It was nice – not as good as you can get in Seattle, but what are you going to do?"

"Yeah." Once I got my mom talking, there was little I had to do to uphold the conversation – especially when she's been drinking.

"I had chicken alfredo, the cream sauce was a little thin… oh, but the wine!"

I listened selectively as my mom detailed the evening. Any time the story seemed like it might veer into a romantic situation, I hummed a little song in my head while I nodded to whatever she was saying.

-- -- --

_-Bella-_

Edward stood at the door, watching me.

"Are you ready, Bella?"

I nodded, toying with my wedding ring.

"We'll come back in a year. Charlie will understand."

I nodded again. I couldn't tell him that the reason for my anxiety was the thought that I might never smell that girl's delicious scent again.

"Let's go," he said, sounding worried. I followed him wordlessly out the door.

**Hope you guys liked the update! I'm not entirely sure where I'm going with this, so this chapter was kind of hard to write. But here's some Q & A for those of you who are a little confused by the details of this story.**

**Q. Isn't Jake super hot?  
****A. In more than one way. **

**Q. Where do I find a sexy werewolf desperate for love?  
****A. At any of your local Native American reservations. Duh. Now, do you have a serious question?**

**Q. Fine. If Bella's only been a vampire for a little over a year, isn't it kind of impossible for her to have a singer already?  
****A. Um. Yeah. But hey, this is what artistic liberty's all about, right? Besides – I needed the other characters (Charlie, Billy, and a few others who I won't bring up right now, because it's going to be a SURPRISE!) to be the same relative ages that they were in the books. I considered using the "werewolves don't age" loophole so that Jake and Cat could still be with each other, but Bella would be old enough to have some self-control, but then that wouldn't work for the aforementioned characters. Plus, Jake probably wouldn't be a junior in high school, which would make it kind of like cradle-snatching for Cat to date him, even if he only looks 25 at most.**

**Q. Alright. I can pretend. But what about a bunch of stuff we learned in Eclipse?  
****A. Yes, yes. I'm working on it. Get off my back!**

**Q. Whoa. Calm down.  
****A. You're right. I'm sorry. I'm working on incorporating a few things from Eclipse into this story, and it's all just a matter of bending the rules without breaking them, so that the story doesn't come off really bi-polar.**

**Okay, hope that answered any lingering questions you might have about the fic! Tune in soon for the continuation of "People of the Wolf." **


	9. The Visit

**Um... so I've been gone from this bugger for quite a while. Oops. Part of the reason is because I really, really disliked 'Eclipse' and it kind of killed my love for the series. However, I recently re-read Twilight, and now the love is back. So, hopefully people will still want to read this. Thanks to everyone who's put me on alert or fave, and to everyone who's commented! You make it all worthwhile.**

**This fic is classified as T, so it's going to go a little past mere hand-holding, if you catch my drift. This chapter is just a little fun bit to get back in the groove of writing this story. Enjoy!**

**_-Cat-_**

I sat on my bed, flipping idly through an old issue of _CosmoGirl_, curling my lip at the inane articles. Lord have mercy on girls whose only concerns are, "Five Tips for Kissable Lips" and "How to Catch Your Crush's Eye!" With a sigh, I flipped it shut. I didn't need to know how to catch my crush's eye - I'd somehow managed that, for once in my life. I needed to know how to get rid of his friends. Every time I was with Jacob, I felt this irresistable urge to throw myself on him and ravish him within an inch of his senses, but that was easily prevented by the presence of Quil and Embry, at the very least.

The clock read eleven p.m. and I had school tomorrow. With a sigh, I slid out of my jeans and pulled my sweater over my head, dumping them both on the floor. I crossed the room and dug around in my dresser drawers, searching for a night shirt. A sudden tap sounded at my window, and I whirled around, biting back a scream. Fears of vampires hadn't completely faded, even though I knew Jacob and the pack were more than capable of protecting me.

There was nobody at the window. I approached hesitantly, peering nervously into the darkness. When I reached the window, a face loomed out of the darkness at me, and I fell back with a scream.

Until I realized it was Jake. I sighed, catching my breath and heaved the window up. The old wood resisted, but I eventually prized it open.

"What are you doing here?" I asked, staring at him. He was positioned in the branches of the mighty oak that grew beside the house, smiling playfully.

Before he could answer, my mom called from the bottom of the stairs, "Cat? Are you alright?"

"Fine!" I called back, running to the door and locking it. "I thought I saw a mouse!"

Jacob scoffed. "You're afraid of mice?"

"I'll buy traps tomorrow," she said. "Good night." I heard her footsteps retreating back to her bedroom downstairs.

When I turned back to the window, Jacob was already inside, pushing it shut. I gaped, wondering how he'd managed to fit his body through my small window. He had to have leaped from the tree...

"I like your pajamas," Jacob said with a wolfish smile, giving me an approving once over.

I blushed fuscia as I realized I was standing in only my bra and underwear. In the back of my mind, I was glad I'd worn the cute underwear - lacy black boyshorts with a matching bra. But mostly, I was consumed with embarrassment. I rushed to my closet and threw my robe around my body. It hung oddly - I'd only managed to get one arm through a sleeve, and the wrong sleeve, at that, but at least I was covered.

"What are you doing here?" I asked again, trying to breathe evenly.

"Enjoying the sights," Jake teased. I scowled and he relented, saying, "I wanted an unsupervised visitation."

The fact that there were no "chaperones" around filled me with glee, and I forgot my embarrassment. "How'd you manage that?" I asked, sitting on my bed.

"They're all sound asleep. One of them is bound to wake up and know I'm here, but I've got a little time before that." He sat on the bed next to me, looking out the window he'd just entered. I sighed, cursing the strange mental connection that their pack had. Jacob had explained the basics of their existence to me - and even though I'd seen them phase with my own eyes, I still found it hard to believe everything I was told.

"You said that they can see your thoughts..."

"Only in wolf form," Jake added. "But, yeah."

"So they know everything about me?"

"Well, everything that I know." Jake nodded, giving me an apologetic smile.

"Even..." I trailed off, blushing. We'd shared a grand total of two kisses - each in the space of the same day - it wasn't something I could readily chat about, yet.

"What?" Jake smiled. "This?" He kissed me, gently, then more fervently.

I pulled away with a small gasp. "Yes," I whispered. "They'll know..."

"It doesn't matter. I know everything that they do. And trust me, I'm angel compared to most of them."

I nodded, but I found the whole thing disconcerting. That his pack would all know exactly what we did, how I kiss, what I look like in just my underwear...

"Does it bother you?" Jake asked, toying with a strand of my hair.

"What?"

"That they know everything."

I shook my head slowly. "I suppose the other girls have to..." I trailed off. I wasn't sure what Jacob and I were - if we'd gotten to the 'boyfriend-girlfriend' stage, or if we were just 'having fun.' I knew where I wanted to be, but I was too shy to ask for it. I was afraid that comparing myself to the other guys' girlfriends would be too presumptuous.

Jacob smiled. He seemed to like the idea. "You're a wolf-girl now," he murmured, pressing a kiss to my jaw, then my neck. I inhaled sharply, surprised by the delicious tingling left by his touch. His lips found mine, kissing me hungrily. I kissed him back with equal passion, pressing myself against him with an urgency that almost frightened me. Encouraged, Jake let his hands slid up my sides, gently pushing my robe from my shoulders.

I broke our kiss with a small gasp. "Wait... a wolf-girl? Does that - are we...?"

"Yeah," Jake nodded. "I hope so... there's something I have to tell you. I never explained _imprinting_, did I?"

- - -

**Short, but sweet, I think. Lemme know what you think!**


	10. Imprinting

**Yay! I'm so glad you guys are still interested. I left this for a looooooong time, and I was amazed every time I logged in to my account and saw that there were still so many alerts and favs on it.**

**Also, super glad that you all are enjoying the Cat/Jake. I've gotten a few comments that Cat is very similar to Bella - but hopefully it's only in superficial ways: living in single-parent homes and romantic involvement with mythical beings. I'll admit that Cat has Bella's foolhardiness when it comes to dealing with dangerous beings, but that's kind of necessary for Jake and Cat to have any sort of relationship. Otherwise, I've tried to differentiate Bella and Cat without being too over-the-top about it.**

**Speaking of Bella, she and Edward will be making another appearance. Enjoy!**

**- - -**

"Imprinting?" I repeated the word with more than a trace of confusion.

"Yeah." Jake shifted uncomfortably. For the first time since I'd known him, he seemed awkward and unsure of himself. I held my breath, waiting for him to speak, and hoping it wouldn't be too terrible - though his fidgeting didn't fill me with confidence.

"No..." I said slowly, watching him carefully. "You never explained that."

He sighed and looked out the window, lost for words. This was so different from everything I knew about him. How bad could this _imprinting _be? I mean, was it a disease? Was he about to tell me that our kissing had somehow transmuted me into a werewolf as well? That he had a week to live?

"Imprinting is hard to explain," he said at last, still looking out the window.

"Just try," I urged him, clenching my hands to absorb some of my stress.

He was silent, contemplating. After a moment he said, "We do this thing, called 'imprinting.'"

"And by 'we,' you mean your pack?"

"Yeah." Jake nodded. "It's like... like falling in love, I guess. It's how most of us find our mates."

"Like Sam and Emily?" I asked. Their love was something fearsome to behold - so strong and all-consuming that it frightened me with its intensity, yet at the same time, filled me with a fierce longing. Every time I saw them together - saw the way they looked at each other - I wondered if I could ever have something so pure as that, yet at the same time, I was afraid to find it.

"Yeah, and a few of the others."

I looked at him, suddenly aware of what he was getting at. He stared determinedly out the window, not meeting my gaze.

"Have you ever imprinted?" I asked, my voice soft.

Jake looked back at me, his honey brown eyes catching mine. "We only imprint _once_. When we imprint... it's everything. Imprinting shows us the one person we're meant to be with. Forever."

His gaze bored into mine, so intese I wanted to look away. But I found that I couldn't. We held each others' gaze, my breath hitching in my throat as I read the intent in his eyes.

"You _have _imprinted," I said softly.

Jacob took a deep breath. I knew his answer before he spoke. "On you, Cat."

I didn't know what to say. I looked away, concentrating on a heap of clothes on the floor.

"Cat..." Jake trailed off uncertainly. I heard him swallow hard. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw him reach for me, then thick better of it and let his hands fall into his lap. "Cat," he said again, his voice husky. "Say something."

"I... I don't know what to say, Jake."

"Don't you believe me?" he asked, sounding desperate. I wished I could say something to reassure him, to alleviate his fears, but I could barely wrap my mind around what he'd just told me.

"Yeah, I believe you," I answered distantly. "I mean, when you tell a girl you're a werewolf and it turns out you're telling the truth... well, there's not too much I find hard to believe anymore." I still couldn't meet his gaze. I knew what he wanted me to say - that I was madly in love with him and _imprinting _was a dream come true, but in truth, I was too stunned. I wasn't ready for this.

"I shouldn't have told you," he growled. He got to his feet and made for the window.

"Jake, wait!" I reached for his arm, and he stopped obediently. I blinked, surprised. How many people actually _stopped _storming off at a simple request?

Jake sighed, turning back to face me. "It's just... I've wanted to tell you for so long - since the moment I first saw you, actually..."

"How is that even possible?" I asked, torn between wishing he would leave immediately, and wishing he would stay. "How can you know - from the instant you saw me..." I shook my head, staring miserably at the ceiling. "How can you know?" I whispered weakly.

He shrugged, closing his eyes, as if savoring the memory of the day. "I just looked at you, and it was like the whole world _shifted_. And I knew - I just knew that you were the one. You're all I think about, Cat. When I'm with you, when I'm away from you. When I'm sleeping, I dream of you." He grinned sheepishly. "The pack is getting pretty sick of it, actually."

I looked away again, unable to meet his gaze for what I was about to say. "I... I don't... I don't feel that way, Jake." I looked up hesitantly to gauge his reaction. What I saw nearly broke my heart. Jake looked as if I'd said I hated him. Slowly, his features faded into grim determination.

"I can't expect you to," he conceded. "But I can wait for you, Cat. I'll do anything for you."

His fervent devotion frightened me. What happened to the funny, easy-going guy I'd known these past few weeks? I looked away from him again.

"Good night, Jacob," I said quietly.

Minutes later, I was standing in my empty room, watching my curtains flutter in the breeze. The cold seeped through the open window like a disease, tainting my room with its bone-sapping omnipresence. Far in the distance, the plaintive cry of a lone wolf shimmered through the air, chilling me more than the November cold ever could.

- - -

**_-Bella-_**

"I'm not going," I said, my voice thick with determination. Edward stared at me from across the room.

"Not going?" he echoed, as if he'd imagined my saying it.

"No. I'm sick of Alaska. I'm sick of caribou. I'm sick of being away from my family - _our _family. I'm staying here, Edward - with or without you." That was a complete and utter lie, and a cruel one - I knew Edward would believe it. If one thing pained me above all others, it was Edward's disbelief that I could love him as much as he loves me.

He stared at me a long time, as if trying to read my mind. He did that every now and again, unable to completely accept my immunity to his gift. After what seemed like eons, he sighed, running his fingers through his coppery hair.

"Fine. We'll stay."

I flew across the room, wrapping my arms around him and pressing a kiss to his lips. Though I'd been a vampire for over a year now, I was still astonished every time I touched him, how I could no longer feel the granite coldness that puzzled me as a human.

"Thank you, Edward. Just think of all the practice I can get in controlling myself this way."

"Just think of all the potential for disaster that could come of this _practice_. Did you think of the innocent lives that might be lost this way, Bella?"

I pulled out of his embrace, catching his gaze with a solemn intensity. "There will be no lives lost."

Edward sighed again, pulling me back against him. "I hope you're right."

- - -

**_-Cat-_**

The next day at school, I sat with Tess and her friends during Lunch.

Caitlin, a quiet girl, but prettier than any girl I'd ever seen (human girl, that is), surveyed me over her pizza. Her long, sandy-blonde hair framed her face in feathery wisps, and her green eyes always seemed to sparkle. A narrow nose drew the line from her eyes to her rosebud mouth. I'd jealously surveyed her beauty on more than one occassion. It was strange to be on the other end of the scrutiny.

"I heard you hang out at the reservation a lot," she said finally.

Surprised by her knowledge, it took me a second to reply. "Yeah, my mom is friends with Sue Clearwater. I met a bunch of the LaPush guys at her house."

The word "guys" transformed the face of every girl present from mild interest to avid curiosity.

"I've seen some of them around," Amanda, a pale, thin brunette, commented, her dark eyes sweeping over me in a flash. "They're really... _big._" I narrowed my eyes. There was something of an implication in her tone, though I wasn't sure what she was getting at. I knew she wasn't being friendly, that was for certain.

"Yeah, but I'm pretty tall. That's probably why we get along so well," I joked lamely.

Tess laughed dutifully, then quickly tried to change the subject. "This pizza tastes like plaster." She banged the hard wedge on her lunch tray for emphasis.

"You're Native American, aren't you?" Amanda asked, ignoring Tess's attempts at humor. "Why don't you go to school at LaPush?"

"I'm Oneida." I answered her slowly, trying to figure out what exactly she was getting at. "Why, are you trying to get me out of Forks?" I disguised the question as a joke, but we both knew I wasn't joking.

"No," Amanda answered quickly, laughing coyly. "I just wondered. You really spend a lot of time with the LaPush _guys_ - I figured you'd like to be around them all the time."

Was she implying that I was some kind of LaPush whore? She was being too careful for me to call her out for it.

"I'm going out with Jacob Black," I said defensively. She gave me a small, unfriendly smile. I'd only affirmed her suspicions.

But I had more than Amanda to worry about. As soon as I said it, I realized that I wasn't sure if I _was _going out with Jake anymore. What if he'd taken last night's dismissal as a permanent good bye? What if I'd hurt his feelings so badly that he never wanted to see me again?

After classes were out, I raced home. I needed to see Jake - to talk to him.

When I reached the front door, I found a folded sheet of paper closed in the screen door. I unfolded it nervously.

_Dear Cat,  
Sorry about last night. I didn't mean to freak you out. I'll leave you alone.  
Love,  
Jake_

I tucked the note into my pocket, and jumped back into my car. I had to go to LaPush. I had to find Jacob. I didn't want to be _alone_. I wanted to be _normal. _I was slowly beginning to realize - if I wanted normal, I'd get the hell out of Forks. At this point, that was no longer an option. I'd gotten too deeply entangled.

- - -

**Oh, poor Jake. So unlucky in love.**

**Be aware - the name of this fic is changing to "Entangled" and description is also going to be updated (when I put up Chapter 11), so if haven't yet - put it on your alerts.**


	11. Return

**Sorry this update took a little longer than the others. I got a really unpleasant review that I took a little too seriously, and it made me dislike this fic a little bit. If you review, could you please tell me - do you think that I'm skewing the books with this fic? I really thought I was staying true to the rules of the books, and staying true to Meyer's characters, but apparently I'm "twisting" the story and my plot points are pointless... ergh. Whatever. For those of you who've enjoyed it so far, hopefully you'll like this chapter too.**

**-- -- --**

I reached Jake's house and all but lunged out of my car. Before I could even knock on the door, it swung open. Billy looked up at me from his wheelchair, his expression inscrutable.

"Hi, Billy. Is Jake around?"

Billy shook his head. "He went out with the pack."

I nodded slowly, eyes on the ground as I turned back towards my car.

"Cat," Billy called after me. I turned back to him. "Emily is at home - she might like some company. I'm sure the boys will be there for dinner later."

Hope swelled in my chest. "Thanks," I said, dashing for my car.

I didn't know Emily terribly well. In fact, all I knew about her was her heartwrenching devotion to Sam. When I reached the house she shared with Sam, I hesitated, sitting in my car and staring at the front door. I hardly knew her - I couldn't just show up at her house. A curtain fluttered in one of the windows, and I saw Emily peering out at me. I couldn't wait any longer. I sighed and crawled out of my car, approaching the door cautiously. It swung open before I even reached the steps, and Emily stood in the frame, smiling.

"Hi," I said shyly. "Billy said you could use some company."

Emily chuckled. "Couldn't find Jake?"

I smiled ruefully. "No. He's with the pack."

She nodded and gestured for me to come in. I followed her into the house, shutting the door behind me. She led me into the kitchen, offering me a seat at the table and pushing a plate of cookies towards me.

"If you want some, you'd better get them now. Those boys don't leave food behind."

I snatched two of them, knowing too well the truth behind her words. I munched on the cookies, intesely aware of the silence. I cast about for something to say, but nothing came to mind. Finally, Emily broke the silence.

"What was so urgent that you had to rush to LaPush right after school?"

I blushed, not sure if I wanted to tell the story. "Well... I think I upset Jake."

Emily nodded knowingly. "He told you he imprinted."

"Yeah." I let out a shaky breath, contemplating the full meaning of the word. "And I... I didn't react the way he wanted."

"When Sam imprinted, we didn't have a word for it. He couldn't tell me what had happened, the way Jacob told you. All he knew was that he was suddenly more devoted to me than life itself. I understand how daunting that is."

"How did you react?"

"It took me a while to understand, to adjust. But when I did..." A soft, private smile pulled at her lips so that even the angry scarring was suddenly rendered beautiful. "You'll see. You'll understand." She patted my arm comfortingly, and pushed the plate of cookies at me. "Take one more," she said. "Our boys are back."

The door suddenly burst open, and Sam strode in, followed by Jake, and then the others. Jake's eyes swept the room, and when they settled on me, he seemed to freeze. Sam glanced between the two of us, observing. His gaze seemed to linger on me, and I wondered if he thought badly of me for the way I'd treated Jake last night. I blushed, remembering what we'd done before things had gotten awkward. Every pair of eyes in the room was on me - and all of them, with the exception of Emily - knew what I looked like in just my underwear.

"Jake," I said hoarsely, keeping my eyes on him, trying to ignore my embarrassment. "Can we go for a walk?"

"Sure." He reached for the door, holding it open for me. Quil and Embry started to follow, but Sam held them back with a glance.

Outside in the cool air, Jake and I stared at each other, both at a loss for words.

"So..." Jake smiled awkwardly.

"I'm sorry," I blurted.

Jake seemed taken aback. "Sorry?"

"I got your note." I pulled it from my pocket, smoothing my hands over it nervously. "I didn't want you to leave me alone. I just... I got freaked out." I couldn't say the rest. I couldn't say that everytime I saw the way Sam and Emily looked at each other, my heart lurched with jealousy and yearning - and if I had the opportunity for that kind of unquestionable devotion... well, I wasn't going to throw it away because the very thought was frightening.

Jake shoved his hands into his pockets. "I shouldn't have told you. I should've waited until I was sure you felt the same."

"I've only known you for a month," I said. Jake looked at the ground. "I mean, I like you, Jake. I like you _a lot_. And I think I could easily fall in love with you. It's just... it's scary."

Jake looked up, his eyes catching mine. "Scary? How do you think I feel? I just _look _at you, and suddenly you're all I can see! And I have no clue if you're going to even give me a second look..."

I felt tears welling in my eyes. I blinked hard, keeping them from spilling. "Jake," I whispered, rushing forward and wrapping my arms around him. I couldn't imagine feeling that way - being madly in love with someone, knowing that you would never love anybody else, and fearing that they may never come to feel the same, all the while knowing you'll never be able to leave them.

Jake's arms closed around me, holding me tight. I stretched on my tiptoes and pressed a kiss to his jaw. "I'm sorry," I whispered. "I didn't want you to hurt you."

"Don't be sorry," he said, squeezing me tighter.

"Jake!" I gasped as the air rushed from my lungs. He released me with a laugh, keeping one arm around me. "How about that walk?" He suggested.

"Aren't you hungry?" I asked. I looked at the kitchen window, to see what Emily had prepared for dinner, only to see the Paul, Jared, Embry and Quil staring back. I scowled at them and they jumped away from the window like they'd been burned, scrambling for the kitchen table.

"I can wait. Emily'll make sure I eat."

I folded my hand in his and let him lead me into the woods. We soon found ourselves on a familiar path, back at the giant tree where all of this started. Jake helped me up the tree, and we settled on the same couch-like array of branches. I snugged up beside him, enjoying the warmth of his body. We fit perfectly, like pieces of a puzzle, and I felt safe with his arm around me and the endless green of the forest below.

Jake kissed the top of my head, and I tilted my chin up, catching the next kiss on my mouth.

"The pack isn't going to burst in and order you to leave, are they?" I teased.

"No." Jake kissed my neck, sending tingles down my spine. "They trust you." He kissed my neck again, making me giddy. I pulled away, stopping him with a hand on his chest.

"They didn't trust me?"

"No. They didn't want you finding out about the pack before they were sure you wouldn't tell."

"So, the chaperones weren't for you... they were for me?"

Jake nodded. "And a little bit of protection for you, in case I... lost control."

I shivered at the idea, but Jacob took my fear away with another kiss. His teeth nipped at the tender skin on my neck, drawing a gasp of delight from me. "I would never hurt you," he whispered in my ear, sending a trill of goosebumps down my neck. He bit my earlobe, making me gasp again. I turned my head, finding his mouth, wrapping my arms around the back of his neck. I sighed into his mouth, deeping the kiss. He traced my bottom lip with his tongue, groaning as I pressed myself against him.

"Cat," he pulled away, but kept his arms around me. "We're going to fall out of this tree."

I giggled. "You could break my fall."

Jake smiled, tracing my jawline with his thumb. "We should get back."

I wrinkled my nose, but I couldn't keep from smiling. "You're hungry, aren't you?"

Jacob laughed as he began descending the tree. "Maybe..."

"I can't believe you chose _food _over _me_!" I faked scandal, but truth be told, I was starving myself.

-- -- --

**Sorry these have been so short lately. I've been typing them before class in the morning, which really limits my time. Anyways, tell me what you thought of this chapter! (Hopefully you liked it... grrr.) **


	12. Curtain Call

I am no longer continuing with People of the Wolf. I started writing this beforeo _Eclipse _came out,and now since _Breaking Dawn_'s publication, most of the plot lines in this story have become largely irrelevant. Although, I would like to give myself a big, smug pat on the back for predicting that Bella would adjust _verrrrrry_ quickly to vampire life (aside from the whole '_la tua cantante_' thing in my version). Anywho, this is just a notice that those of you who have PotW on your alerts can remove it, but I would appreciate it greatly if you kept it favorited/add it to your favorites so that others can see it and enjoy it.

Thanks again for all the great reviews, the alerts, and the favorites! I'm working on a four-part Twilight fic as we speak, and I will be posting the first chapter soon. Keep an eye out!

xoxo,

inksmudged


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